TITLE: ACCIDENTAL DATE AUTHORS: ROUND ROBIN Cybill, FatCat, Song, Carma, Xfilesopus, Donnilee and mimic117 RATING: PG-13 CATEGORY: MSR SPOILERS: NONE DISCLAIMER: All characters used from the show, The X-Files, are the property of Chris Carter, Ten Thirteen Productions and Fox Broadcasting. No copyright infringement intended. We don't make any money here! SUMMARY: Sometimes good things happen by accident. AUTHORS' NOTES: This is a fic that germinated in the Saturday Night Chat room that is hosted by Donnilee on Yahoo. Each author was given an "element" to incorporate into the fic and it was passed around. The footnotes list the authors' e-mail addresses along with the fic elements. SPECIAL THANKS: To our beta reader, Sdani, who stepped up to the plate without much notice and did a bang up job of sending things hither and yon and not getting confused! We can never make anything simple for her! Thanks for all your hard work and time. XXXXXXXXXX Chapter 1 by Cybill: Today felt like it would never end. I still can't believe Mulder's latest theory on the Blumberg case. Telepathy, intuition, fate, it seems as though his theories would never end. I laugh lightly to myself. That man never ceases to amaze me. Shaking my head back and forth I decide I'm overdue for some "me" time. I head to my room to put on my comfy, deep purple, silk pajamas. I love the way silk feels on my skin. So soft. After finishing my nighttime pampering, which consists of face washing and multiple applications of different age defying cremes, I'm just about ready to relax. I enter my kitchen and pull out a chilled bottle of white wine and pour myself a glass. As I head toward my living room, I grab the box of matches on top of the fridge. Making my way through the room, I light all of my candles. Ah, yes, a romantic evening alone. Settling into the couch, I spy the book that will be my date this evening. I sigh and begin to look the book over; Rain on Halloween written by Regina DeShea. I take a moment to read the acknowledgements and the prologue. I can't believe I'm about to read a romance novel. It's not as though prince charming will come knocking on my door any moment, I remind myself. Live a little. That's what Mom is always telling me. I flip the first page of the book and dive in. This book is surprisingly good. I re-read the last paragraph not realizing that my temperature has raised and I feel flush. I no longer have a need for the throw blanket I was snuggling before I started this little adventure. ***Hank looks at me as though I'm his last meal. I understand. I'm just as hungry. More even. Starving. He grabs my hand, putting down my cup of hot, chocolaty sweetness. He slowly moves closer ... I can feel his breath on my face ... his eyes are boring into mine, trying to see right through to my soul. He kisses me. The kiss lasts a lifetime and only a moment. Time stops. He slides his hands down my dress, leaving it to brush up and down along the length of my thigh. I want him ... I need him ... I will have him ...*** Thump ... thump ... thump ... What is that? I don't know, and I don't care. I return to the passage I was reading. ***I slide my hands to the buttons on Hank's dress shirt. I draw out the suspense of revealing each new portion of his tanned, muscled chest. Teasing myself. His lips are on my neck, sending chills down my spine*** Thump ... thump ... thump ... "Scully, it's me. Open up. I know you're there." Crap. What's he doing here? I put my finger in between the pages of my book, marking my place and pad over to the door. I barely get the door open before he rushes past me, takes off his jacket and throws it into the chair. He looks wild and excited. He's got a manila folder in his hands. That means work. No ... no ... no. I wanted to relax this weekend. I wanted to get away from the case. I move over to the couch and flop down with a thud. Mulder quickly follows my lead and sits down, closer than I'd like him to be sitting right now. I grab my wine and take one large swallow. I know I'm going to need fortification to get through this visit. Hopefully, it will be a quick one. The effects of Hank and Josephine have not yet left my mind and I'd like to get back to it. "Mulder, what's going on? Why are you here?" I say to him trying really hard not to sound as if I'm pissed off that he's showed up. He looks me up and down. A look of realization seeps over his features. "I'm sorry Scully. It's only 10:00." Wow, he just realized he barged in. Doesn't surprise me. "I figured you'd be up. I didn't realize that you were planning on turning in early." His eyes squint a bit and give me a once over again, taking in my full appearance. "Are you feeling okay Scully? You look," he blushes. Mulder actually blushed. Yeah, I know. I looked turned on, probably because I am. I interrupt his next comment, "I'm fine Mulder, I was just reading and trying to relax, you know something you should try and do once in a while," I say jokingly. "Is that right, Scully?" He grabs my wrist to get at the book I was hiding under my thigh. He reads the title aloud, "Rain on Halloween. Eh?" He looks at me for an explanation. "Mulder, stop." I say, a little more forceful than I intended. That just eggs him on. God, now he's going to know. Why the hell did I choose to read this particular book tonight? Why is he here? So many questions, so few skills to ask them. Maybe I can divert his attention away from the book. I pick up the case file on the table, open it and try to get his attention. "So, Mulder, what's so important about this case that it couldn't wait until Monday?" I look over at him disapprovingly, hoping to get him to talk about the case, or anything other than that book. No dice. He's already reading from the page I had just been reading. His eyes shift over to me to make sure I know he knows. I'm going to die. I wonder if there's an X-file on whether or not someone has ever died from embarrassment. If not, there's about to be one. "Scully, is this what women would call romance now a days? Hot chocolate, a rainy night, and a spooky holiday?" he says teasingly. I blush. He notices it and continues, "If so..." he trails off when I give him my best, 'Mulder you're treading on thin ice here' look, complete with lifted eyebrow. He pauses briefly. He looks me directly in the eyes and with a sexy little grin says, "If so ... what are you doing for St. Patrick's day?" xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Chapter 2 by FatCat: I couldn't help it. I started giggling. Mulder's thinking has a way of surprising me, making me happy at the most unexpected moments. "What could you possibly find romantic about St. Patrick's day?" I asked through my giggles. "Oh, you know. If hot chocolate and rain flips your switch, just think what green beer and corned beef and cabbage could do?" he quipped. I laughed even harder. "Only a man would find that holiday romantic, Mulder!" He gave me a mock glare for laughing at him and then leaned back smugly, enjoying a moment of pure male superiority. I really looked at him for the first time that night. He was dressed casually, but neatly in dark brown chinos, a tan turtleneck sweater that looked like cashmere and, as I glanced over to the chair where he threw his coat, a new brown leather jacket. He looked good enough to eat. Suddenly 'Hank' wasn't quite as attractive as he had been only moments ago. I'm sure Josephine would agree. Mulder and his smug expression had to go down! The look on his face was worth the aggravation of an interrupted evening as I leaned forward and smiled at him. I knew that the neckline of my silk top had slipped open, dangerously close to exposing my entire breast. Only my pebbled nipple caught on the button facing kept it from exposing all. I beckoned to him to come closer so that I could whisper a secret in his ear. His hair was still damp from the rain outside and he smelled incredibility good as I inhaled before I began whispering. "I come from Irish ancestry, Mulder," I whispered softly. "I had two brothers, a father and lots of uncles." I couldn't resist letting my lips gently brush against his ear as I spoke. Mulder froze in place. I could see the goose bumps rise all over him as I softly sighed, "They all loved their corned beef and cabbage. My father, uncles and my brothers drank lots of green beer." I almost laughed out loud and told him to take a breath. I moved back to allow him some room for recovery, but his head followed me back. I decided that this was war so all was fair. I moved closer and nuzzled his ear gently with my nose. "St. Patrick's day was always a time of intense ..." I heaved a sigh, hoping that I sounded turned on. "Yeah?" he gulped. "Intense ..." I hesitated and pulled back again. His hand reached over to my waist and he pulled me closer. Now our cheeks were touching and I could feel the smoothness of his fresh shave. He was going to suffer for this, I resolved. "Scully?" he groaned. "Intense ..." I moved my hands into place on his shoulder and thigh. "Flatulence at our house!" I pushed him off the couch and he landed with a thump on the floor. I started giggling again. I fell back against the couch and howled with laughter as he sat there gaping at me like a beached fish. When he jumped up and frowned at me, I realized that maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Mulder was nothing if not competitive. He definitely believed that vengeance was a dish best served cold. I was going to have to be on my toes forever until he thought of an adequate payback. "Truce! Truce!" I begged as I tried to bring my laughter under control. Oh well, at least I was flushed from laughing instead of sexual arousal now. Mulder's sense of humor overtook his indignation and he began to smile. He sat back down on the couch and put his arm around my shoulder hugging me close to him again. "I deserved that Scully for barging in here so late on Friday night." I smiled at him and said, "What do you have that got you so excited, Mulder? Crop Circles? Murder?" I lowered my voice and said as sexily as I was capable, "Exsanguination?" "Scully, I'm hurt! Why do you think this was about work?" he teased me back. "Well, Mulder, history. Point A, it's Friday night. Point B, you have that excited, on the hunt glow. Point C you have a file folder in hand. Need I continue?" "Ah, nice deductive work, Agent Scully, but wrong," he smirked. "Wrong?" I was really surprised. "Yep, completely wrong." "Well, what do you have with you, Mulder? What else comes in a manila folder except X-Files?" "Why don't you check it out for yourself?" he said as he handed me the folder. I glared at him, positive that he was lying to me. He wanted to trick me into looking at the information inside long enough to get interested so that he could lure me into taking off on an informal case with him. "Mulder ..." I began and then stopped. Inside the folder was a mock-up of a 302. A.D. Skinner had issued it to Mulder and me, directing us to attend his Halloween party tonight beginning at 11:00PM, Costume Optional. I glared at Mulder and said, "This is for tonight! Why didn't you tell me about this before now?" He got a sheepish look on his face and said, "Well, I Ummmm... I guess it got buried in my in box and I didn't find it until tonight after you left." I felt like whining. I didn't want to go anywhere tonight. It was Friday and all I wanted to do was relax for the entire weekend. "Come on, Scully. You know Skinner wouldn't invite us if he didn't want us to show up." "Muhlder ..." I did whine this time. "Please, Scully? I don't want to hurt his feelings by not showing up," he said reasonably. I gave him the eyebrow and snarled, "This couldn't have anything to do with the expense report you finished and submitted after I left, could it? The one that had not one, but two, cell phone replacement charges on it? Hum?" He gave me his most beatific smile. "Of course not, Agent Scully. You know that this is the first personal party invitation Skinner's ever given us. I just want to see whom else our boss has invited to his party. It just wouldn't be polite not to show up." Oh boy! Two 'justs' in a row. He was scrambling now. I leaned back and looked at him until he squirmed. "You don't expect me to wear a costume, do you?" The relieved look on his face made me smile again. "No Scully, honest. Any old thing you wear will be just fine. You always look great!" "All right. Wait here," I said. I snatched my book out of his hands and threw him the remote control as I walked by him. "I'll take that. You find something educational to watch while I get changed." XXXXXXXXXXXXX Chapter 3 by Song: Damn, now I have to come up with an amazing costume. I can think of a thousand women I would like to go as, perhaps someone very sexy. That would teach him a lesson. As I stand looking in my closet, there is nothing here that could transform me into a dark, mysterious, sexy person like Elvira or Morticia Addams. I probably don't have the bust line or body shape for it anyway, but I know Mulder would appreciate the effort. I certainly felt how much Mulder jr. appreciated my little ear whisper earlier. I should really shop more. I only have business clothes, a few jeans, and leggings that I wear around the house with some oversize sweat shirts. This is so frustrating! Come on Dana think, think! I'd hate to just throw on jeans and go. I really want to have fun and be dressed up for a change. I really want to impress Mulder. Damnit, Dana, think and think fast! XXXXX: Mulder was getting bored with flipping the channels. He wanted to know what she was doing in her bedroom. Perhaps it hadn't been a good idea to spring this on her at the last moment. Part of him wanted her beautiful, astute mind to come up with something sexy. Not too sexy, he was quick to add. He didn't want to share too much of her with any of Skinner's other guests or Skinner himself, for that matter. He darted a glace at her bedroom door and quickly adjusted himself. He didn't want to spend the entire evening in pain. One glimpse of her luscious breast while she was teasing him had him hard as a rock. He glanced back at the television and realized that the Discovery Channel was showing a cervical disectomy. Maybe, if he concentrated on the show, it would help him get a grip on his arousal. XXXXX Okay, I hope this is all right. It's the best I could do with what I had to work with. Blue eye shadow, bright pink lipstick, big off the shoulder sweat shirt, tight black leggings, white frilly socks with high heels, sweat band.... this is not too bad. All I need now is to add some large hoop earrings, bangles, a lot more blush, and more hairspray and I will be a perfect reincarnation of an 80's chick. I'm so glad I kept some of Melissa's old jewelry. She was always the eccentric one. I wonder if any of Mulder's girlfriends in the 80's looked like this. They were all probably taller with, long dark hair. xxxxxxxxxxxx Chapter 4 by Carma: By the time we were halfway to Kelsey's I was starting to rethink my choice of outfits. As gratifying as Mulder's reaction had been, that gleam in his eyes was making me nervous as hell. Oh, he approved of my appearance. That much was obvious. But he hadn't made one smart-assed remark since I came out of the bedroom, and I was still waiting for the other shoe to drop. I knew he hadn't forgotten my teasing him earlier, and it struck me on the way to the party that by dressing this way I had unconsciously upped the stakes. He was still hovering on the skinny edge of arousal, and I wasn't far behind him. What the hell had I been thinking? After my little prank on the sofa, this getup was like waving a red flag at a horny bull. I tried to think of a nice safe subject to talk about. When Mulder first told me where we were going, I had wondered why Skinner would go to the trouble of hiring a private hall for a Halloween party. Skinner didn't strike me as the Halloween type. According to Mulder, the whole thing was some kind of long standing tradition. Skinner knew the owner from his old, field agent days. Mark Kelsey and his wife, Judy, were closing up late one Thanksgiving when they were robbed at gunpoint. Skinner was just coming off a late night stake out and happened to be in the right place at the right time. He had no trouble taking down the thief, but unfortunately, Judy was shot by the perp. Skinner got them both to the hospital and stayed with Kelsey through her surgery. She eventually made a full recovery, and every year since then they'd get together and "par-tay", as Mulder put it. "I don't get it, Mulder", I said. I was wondering how he knew all of this, but decided to keep that question to myself. "If this all happened on Thanksgiving, why do they celebrate on Halloween?" "Well, for a long time they got together on Thanksgiving. But Skinner was single then, with most of his family spread out all over Texas," he explained as we pulled up to the bar. The parking lot was packed, so Mulder turned the car toward the alley. "Ah. So the Kelsey's sort of adopted him." At that, Mulder shot me an uncomfortable glance, but quickly busied himself parking the car. "I guess when Skinner got married," I went on, ignoring his odd reaction, "that made it harder to get together, what with their spouses families and all." I remembered all the Thanksgiving dinners we had over the years while my father was out to sea. "Well, yeah," he said, as we came to a stop. "They tried for a while, but eventually the celebration migrated to Halloween." Mulder climbed out of the car and met me on my side. "But what about trick-or-treat? Didn't they ever have to ... ?" He cut me off with a sad shake of his head. "Judy was shot in the abdomen. She wasn't able to have kids after that. And Skinner..." he trailed off, uncomfortably. I felt a twinge of empathy for two women I didn't even know. Mulder stood staring at his shoes. His reaction to my earlier remark made sense now. He must have been thinking about my own infertility. I was determined to let him know that it was okay. One day we would talk about all the things we had avoided over the years, but tonight I wanted to have fun. The awkward moment threatened to linger, so I stepped up to Mulder and gazed up into his sad face, giving him an affectionate smile and warming his cold cheek with my hand. He seemed startled for a moment, but quickly recovered, folding me up in his warm arms. We stood like that for a while, comfortable and comforting, when suddenly he took my hand and stepped back. Turning on his heel, he gifted me with a toothy smile and took off, tugging me down the alley. "Come on, Scully," he nearly shouted. "Time to par-tay!" "Muh...Mulder," I laughed at his sudden exuberance, struggling to keep up. "Aren't you forgetting something?" I said, teasingly looking him up and down. He gaped at me a moment, and then down at himself. "What? Is my panty line showing or something?" "While I must confess a certain weakness for the leather jacket look," I purred, stepping into his personal space and caressing the soft leather, "It hardly qualifies as a costume." Even in the cold evening air I could see the embarrassed blush that crept onto his grinning face. He was looking at me like any minute I was going to morph into A.D. Kersh. He had to be wondering what was up with me tonight, and I was beginning to wonder myself. I thought back to my fear over what Mulder would do to get even with my teasing him, and suddenly I didn't give a damn. I wanted to have fun. More than that, I wanted Mulder to have fun. "Well, I guess we'll have to make due," he grinned. Flipping up his jacket collar he stepped into the light of the streetlamp and struck a classic Elvis pose. I couldn't help but laugh, and from the twinkle in his eyes, that's exactly the reaction he intended. "Oh no, Mulder," I groaned, but not very convincingly. "Oh yes, Scully," he smiled back at me. I suddenly got an image of Mulder in his Elvis persona grinding his hips on the dance floor. "I guess I got a date with the King," I sighed. "Thank-you, veruh much." Mulder took me by the shoulders, chuckling. "Come on, Partner. We need to get you inside and out of that coat," he declared, staring at my chest like he had x-ray vision. The horny Mulder Bull was back. Thank God. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Chapter 5 by Xfilesopus: Mulder and I went in to the party. Once we were in the thick of the party, it hit me just how much I didn't want to be there. There was a ton of people who we didn't know, but who all knew each other. Mulder and I were not really the types to just mingle. But, we're doing this for Skinner I reminded myself. Always good to score a few points with the boss, especially if it means he'll be a little easier on us the next time Mulder goes off on a tangent. I looked around to see if I could find Skinner. There's really no point in us being here for him if he doesn't even know we're here. Finally I spotted him. I cringed when I saw that he was dressed as a pirate. I can't help but think he's my boss, and it's really strange to see him acting like a regular person. A regular person, dressed as a pirate. Woo boy, why did I ever agree to do this? "Are we having fun yet, Scully?" Mulder asked me in a tone that tells me he is having as little fun as I am. "Oh, yeah, Mulder, this is a blast," I replied flatly. "Scully, I don't know what I was expecting but it wasn't this. This is just too weird, even for me. We don't know any body here, and I'm not sure that I will ever be able to recover from seeing Skinner dressed up in a costume. The next time he yells at me, I'm going to have a really hard time not reminding him he was a freaking pirate for Halloween." I laughed, somehow relieved that Mulder is as uncomfortable as I am. "Well, Mulder, we could stay here all night and be uncomfortable, or we could say hello to Skinner and slip out to do something more ... more ... us." He smiled at my suggestion. "Which would be what Scully? What could be more fun than this?" he asked me with a chuckle. "Well," I say, realizing suddenly that the most comfortable place in the world is not five miles away. "We could go back to your place and watch a movie or something." It hits me suddenly that all I want to do is spend time alone with him. It's not something we ever really get time to do, which we should. Plus, I feel like an idiot in this outfit and don't appreciate the way people are looking at me. "A movie, Scully? At my place? That could be interesting," he said with a leer. "Not that kind of movie, Mulder." I hit him on the arm. Yeah, like I would watch that kind of movie with him. "You know what I would really love to see? And I know you have it," I suggested playfully. "Not Ally McFeal, Scully? It's really good ... I just got it ... it's a spoof on Ally McBeal ... there's this girl named Ally and she ... " He begins to ramble on and I interrupted him. "Did I NOT just say, not that kind of movie, Mulder?" I sanctioned sternly. That shut him up. "No, I was thinking more along the lines of Plan 9 From Outer Space." His face lighted up. "I LOVE that movie. I've seen it like a hundred times." I'm not sure I could have made him any happier. "I know, Mulder, and I've never seen it, so if you don't mind, let's give our regards to the captain and head over to your place." "Part-tay," he says as he dragged me over in Skinner's direction. "Hey, guys, I'm so glad you could make it!" Skinner greeted us. I can barely look at him. He even has a fake parrot on his shoulder. And he's drunk. Which is good, because maybe he won't notice that we're only going to be here for fifteen minutes, tops. "Uh, yeah, thanks for inviting us, Sir." Even here, Mulder can't bring himself to call Skinner anything other than Sir. That really highlights the fact that we shouldn't be here. "Well, have a good time. I'm just going to go get another drink." Skinner said as he turned toward the bar. He's really drunk. He's not even being a good host at this point. Which, I reason, means we don't have to be good guests. When he's far enough away, I turned to Mulder, "We've had a good enough time, right?" "Oh, yeah," he mutters. "Definitely." He took me by the hand and pulled me towards the door. When we get outside I realize he's been babbling on about the movie for a while. I try to focus on what he's saying, just in case he happened to take a break. Motor mouth. "Before we put the movie in, we have to first go to this website. It's called badmovies.org. It's a requirement that we go there first before we watch the movie, Scully." He opened his car door for me and I got in. He's continued jabbering on. "It has a list of all the things to watch for and a list of lessons learned from the movie and..." I really should stop him before he hyperventilates. I knew he liked this movie, but I guess I never really realized how much. "Ok, Ok, Mulder, we'll look at that website before we watch the movie. The movie's not really what I'm interested in though." I looked over at him as I said this and he looked crest fallen. "It's not, Scully? But, it's a really good movie," he whined. "So I've heard," I said coolly. We pull in front of his building and I chose to take that confined car ride to tell him what I really wanted to do. "No, Mulder I want to see the movie. Really I do, but what I'm really interested in spending a couple hours with you." I tried to keep my voice steady, but I'm pretty sure he could hear my heart thudding in my chest. He turned off the engine and turned toward me with a huge smile. "That's funny, Scully. That's exactly what I'm really interested in as well." "Par-tay," I said as I got out of the car. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Chapter 6 by Donnilee: Badmovies.org turned out be a pretty hilarious website. I sat next to him at the computer, having pulled a kitchen chair into the living room. He kept giving me odd looks every time he laughed. Finally, I looked at him and asked, "What is that look for? You seem entirely too amused at the things I think are funny." He smiled that toothy grin that always does funny things to my insides and said, "I love to see you smile and laugh. You don't do it nearly enough." We both lost our mirth and stared at each other. He shrugged as if to dismiss his observation. I didn't want us to fall into morbid contemplation of how little there was to laugh about in our lives, so I tried to lighten the mood again. "You're right, Mulder. We both should make more of an effort to laugh and have a good time on our off hours. With that in mind, how about we watch this piece of cinematic artistry that you're always cooing about." He smiled again. Mission accomplished. "Bring it on, Scully." We stood up and made our way to the couch. He plucked the movie from his bookshelf on the way and tossed the cardboard cover onto the coffee table. I reached for it and he gently slapped my hand. "No peeking, Scully. I don't want you anticipating the unique viewing experience I'm about to introduce you to." I chuckled softly and sat back, letting him have his fun. This was a Mulder I liked. He was relaxed and showing off his sense of humor. Relaxed, smiling Mulder was a hard thing to resist. I realized he was right. Neither one of us laughed enough or made an effort to inject any fun into our lives. He slipped the movie in and adjusted the controls on the TV. I stood up. "Before we start, could I wash my make up off? It's starting to itch." He smiled. "Sure, go ahead. I like you au natural, anyway." I raised my eyebrow at him, silently asking for an explanation. He merely shrugged again and I decided not to push it. So Mulder liked me without make up, huh? How many times had he actually seen me out of my work clothes? I blushed remembering a few times he'd caught me unawares in the middle of the night with his surprise visits. In my pajamas and rumpled from sleep, I'd always felt self-conscious about my appearance in front of him. Mulder was a sharp dresser. No one could fault him for his choice of clothes, in or out of work. At those times he'd caught me rumpled, he'd always given me a slightly amused look that I didn't know how to interpret. Now I entered his bathroom, and found a face cloth. I wet it with hot water and washed off the thickest of my make up, making sure I got all the blue eye shadow off. Then I added soap and scrubbed my face, feeling better. I saw his brush on the back of the toilet, and ran it quickly through my hair, removing the stiffness of the hairspray I'd used earlier. I used the toilet while I was in there, not wanting to have to get up in the middle of the movie to pee. Finally, I was ready. I walked back into his bedroom and was heading for the door to the living room when I stopped, noticing a lithograph on the wall of his bedroom. I knew I'd never seen this one before. I stepped closer and sucked in a little breath of surprise. It was alluringly erotic. It depicted a man with dark, olive skin, standing behind a much tinier woman with pale skin. One of his arms was wrapped around her waist, his hand resting just above her mons. The other was cupping her breast, which was nice size but not enormous, her peaked nipple sticking out between his index and middle fingers. His body was molded against her back and one leg was forward, wrapping itself around her calf and drawing her leg back between his. The woman had her head thrown back and her back arched. Her arms reached above her head and back, cupping the back of his neck. Neither of their faces could be seen, but it wasn't necessary. It was all the more erotic for the mystery in it. I stared at it, picturing Mulder and I in that position and felt the silken warmth of arousal flood between my legs. I gulped, tearing my gaze away just as he appeared in the doorway and said, "Hey, I thought you fell in." He chuckled at his own joke and then went silent, looking at me and then turning to see that I was facing the picture. I couldn't be sure but it sounded as if his voice dropped lower. He asked, "Do you like it?" I glanced up, looking at him from under my lashes and letting my hair fall forward to cover most of my face. "Uh ... yeah. I've never seen that before. Is it new?" "Yes," he stated simply. I lifted my head to meet his gaze when he didn't say anything else. I was captured by the hooded look in his eyes. Our eyes clashed and then held. I cleared my throat. "Where did you get it? I didn't know you were into art." "I dabble, but I never got into it seriously. I really don't know anything about art. I just buy what I like." Without thinking, I asked, "Why did you buy this one?" Then I could have bit my tongue. Did I really want to know? He took a deep breath and said, "I liked it. It made me think of ..." I looked at the floor, waiting for him to stumble over his hesitation and finish the thought. He didn't. I looked up tentatively again and couldn't believe it when I heard myself ask softly, "Think of what?" His mouth opened and then closed. Now it was his turn to look at the ground. A few more moments of silence went by and I decided this tension was ridiculous. I looked up and grinned. "You just wanted some sexy artwork in your apartment. Got it to impress the girls, didn't you?" I teased. He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "What girls?" he asked in self-deprecating tone. I smiled and went to walk past him into living room and said, "We have a movie to watch, don't we?" His hand flashed out and gripped my upper arm gently. I looked up at him, startled and he stepped close to me. He leaned down and whispered into my ear, "It made me think of us." I shivered at the feel of his warm breath cascading down my neck. "Oh," I squeaked, cringing internally at how meek I sounded. I cleared my throat again and said, "Let's watch the movie, Mulder." "Wait," he said softly, gently towing me by the arm back into the bedroom. He swung the door closed and I jumped a little, leaning toward it. He stepped up to my back and wrapped his arms around my waist, putting his chin on the top of my head. I gasped, eyes pinned on the floor. "What are you doing, Mulder?" "Look up," he said. I lifted my eyes and saw that we were standing in front of a full length mirror he'd attached to the back of the door. Oh lord. His left hand slid down my stomach and rested just above the elastic of my French cut panties. He rubbed gently and I sucked in my breath. His other hand was more tentative but slid slowly up my side. When his thumb was brushing my breast, he slid it in and under my breast. He stopped, waiting to see if I would stop him. I should. I knew I should, but I was frozen in place, paralyzed by the rush of anticipation and arousal. I seemed to be absolutely mute at the moment. I had to get a grip. I took a deep breath, tensing and preparing to step forward, out of his grasp. I didn't make it. I'd barely finished my breath when his hand slid up and his palm cupped the bottom of my breast. He squeezed gently and without my permission, my vocal chords let loose with a low, tortured moan as I felt tingles race through my breast and more wetness pool between my legs. "Ohhhhhh, ahhhhhhhhh, God," I choked. He smiled gently. No arrogance, a little touch of awe and his fingers moved, his index finger and middle finger slipping over my areola. I felt my nipple harden and pucker up tight. Then he squeezed it gently between his fingers and I felt my knees give way, bobbing dangerously as his left arm slid across my belly and anchored me tightly to his body. I could feel his sizeable erection through his pants, pressing into the small of my back. He moved slowly, maneuvering us sideways, so we mimicked the picture. Our eyes met in the mirror, and his issued a challenge. I raised my arms slowly over my head and cupped the back of his neck. I had to arch my back to reach, and when my butt pressed into his groin, he groaned, low and sexy sounding in the back of his throat. His head lowered and bent to the side. His lips gently took the lobe of my ear between them and he dragged his lips down, slipping them off the bottom of my lobe. My breath quivered as I sucked it in. "Mulder ..." "Scully ..." he replied, his tone teasing. "We should stop," I said, my voice more breathy than I wanted it to be. "No, we shouldn't," he shot back calmly. He paused and then said, "I want to see us like this, like the picture." "Meaning?" He paused and met my gaze in the mirror. "Naked," he said softly. "Mulder, this is crazy. We should ..." He cut me off, "Make love, Scully. We should make love," he blurted out. I spun in his arms to face him and he let me go of his grip on me. I panted slightly and my mind raced a thousand miles an hour, trying to remember all the reasons we shouldn't do this. Was he just aroused because of the circumstances? He'd been aroused before, but he'd read the book too, and I had teased him. Was he serious? One look at his face and I knew he was dead serious. "Why?" I asked, thinking that sounded dumb, even to my own ears. He scrunched his brow as if surprised I didn't know. "Scully ..." "Why?" I asked again, my voice more stern this time. I needed to know. He swallowed harshly and took a deep breath. As he exhaled he said softly, "Because I love you, Scully." All the oxygen suddenly left the room as if by magic. I heard myself gasp and the walls of the room closed in as my head spun. What the hell? I looked up at him, saw his look of concern, and heard him say frantically as he stepped into me, "Scully, what's wrong?" I opened my mouth to say something and everything went black. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Chapter 7 by mimic117: When I come to, it takes me a moment to realize that I'm stretched out on Mulder's bed. He's sitting right next to me, wiping my face with a wet washcloth. He looks scared. I get the feeling that if I hadn't come out if it soon, he was all set to call 911. "Are you okay?" This is so embarrassing. I never faint. Well, almost never, and certainly not just because someone says they love me. I guess I should have eaten before we went to Kelsey's, but it was late and I was planning to go to bed, not out on the town. Still, low blood sugar combined with an adrenaline rush of lust after seeing us duplicate the painting and then Mulder's words... Did I eat supper tonight? I can't remember! "Scully, answer me! Are you okay?" "Yes. I'm fine now. Help me sit up." Daydreaming on top of fainting. Poor Mulder. He was worried enough before. Now he looks frantic. I suppose an unresponsive partner will do that. "Are you sure, Scully? You really hit the floor hard." He helps me sit up, but keeps his arm around me. "You were only out for a few minutes, but I think you should take it easy. Are you sure you're all right?" My Mulder. Such a sweet, caring man. Maybe he's forgotten what he said just before I passed out like some heroine out of a romance novel, but I haven't. Tonight could have been so different after he found out that I love him, too. It feels like the time is past to talk about it right now, but we will. That's a promise to myself -- and to him. He deserves to know, once the mess I've made of tonight is over. His cheek feels silky smooth when I cup his jaw with my hand. He must have shaved right before he came to get me for the party. "I seem to remember something about a quiet evening and a movie. Are we still on for that?" He smiles, but his eyes still hold a concerned look. "Are you up for it?" I nod. "Don't try to weasel out of it now, Mulder. You promised." "But you just --" He waves his hand at the floor, then at the bed and frowns. "It wasn't anything." His frown gets deeper. "Honest. I didn't eat much today, then I had a glass of wine before you showed up, it was late and I was tired and I didn't eat anything before we went out and I guess there were just too many emotional things that hit me at one time -- " I'm babbling. Not a good sign, and his face tells me that he's not really buying it. Let's try this again. "Really. I'm okay. It won't happen again, especially if you feed me some Chinese carryout during the movie." I give him my best Mulder-imitation eyebrow waggle. He huffs a laugh, then helps me off the bed and to my feet. He points a finger at me as soon as I'm standing. "Any indication that you're feeling dizzy or faint, no matter how tiny -- " "I'll be sure to let you know." I kiss his finger. The expression in his eyes softens, but he doesn't say anything. As we turn to leave the bedroom, we're confronted by the painting and mirror. Now, I not only want to see us in that pose as much as Mulder, I can imagine it happening. I've felt his arms around me, his desire for me so evident against my back. I want it, too. But not before I eat something so I can enjoy myself without fainting. I watch him, reflected behind me in the mirror, as his expression becomes wistful and sad. I can see that he thinks I don't return his feelings, but it's not that. It's just that I really don't want to talk about what almost was right now. I need time for my comprehension of his words to sink in. I've never been comfortable leaping before I look, even when it comes to love. Still, I can't allow him to think that this is his fantasy alone. I take his hands and pull his arms around my waist from behind me. It's not the exact same pose as the painting, but the implications are there. "I want to see us like the picture, too, Mulder. Very soon." I can tell that he understands what I mean. He nods, and his eyes lose their cloudy, sad look. He knows that I'm repeating his words of love back to him without coming right out and saying them. We know each other's minds so well; he can read the words hidden between the ones I speak. Why shouldn't we know each other in this beautiful, physical way too? He hugs me, then lets go and steps back. "Let's get some food in you and dig out that movie." I watch his ass as he walks out to the living room. The tingling between my legs is back. Soon. We're going to talk about it very soon, because I don't want to wait anymore. If my blood sugar weren't so low right now, I'd haul that ass back in here and get started on duplicating the picture. But we'd just be back where we are now when I pass out again. Better not risk spoiling the mood twice. I could end up giving him an aversion complex. I join him in the living room just in time to hear, "Okay. Fifteen minutes. See you then." He hangs up the phone and turns to me. "You've got five minutes to have your wicked way with me before I have to leave and pick up the food." I automatically glance at the VCR clock, and then do a double take. It's only midnight! How could so many important things happen in less then an hour? It feels like days should have passed, not just a handful of minutes. We've gone from reluctant party attendees, to playing hooky in favor of a grade-B sci-fi movie, to hot groping in the bedroom, to my cold-bucket-of-water act that put out the fire. What a strange evening it's been so far. Mulder clears his throat and I realize that I've missed my cue for a snappy comeback. He's already shrugging into his jacket, keys in hand. "I'll be back in just a bit. Don't faint before I get here." He's looking wistful and sad, again. I surprise both of us when I rise up on tiptoe and place a soft kiss against his mouth. "I'll sit over on the couch so I have a soft place to land, just in case. Don't be long." I must have put his doubts to rest, because he returns the kiss just as gently, then smiles. "Hold that thought," he says, and then he's out the door. I know Mulder's just as disappointed as I am by the way things have turned out tonight, but he'll soon learn that my wicked ways are best performed on a full stomach. It doesn't take him long to return. In fact, I haven't managed to locate his Ally McFeal video before I hear his key in the lock. He's brought back enough food to feed an investigative team. Or for two people to enjoy leftovers all weekend. After they've had sex and slept. And had more sex. And slept and had sex again. What a lovely thought. I'd better get some food and build up my strength. We talk while we eat, rehashing the earlier parts of the evening and avoiding the later bits for now. I discover that Mulder thinks I'm sexy in leggings and a bulky sweater. I tell him that I think he'd make a much better pirate than Skinner. I say that I'd especially like to see him with an earring, which is when he shows me the tiny holes in both ear lobes. How did I miss those all these years? I know what I'm buying him for his birthday this year! I'm getting hot just thinking about him sporting a small gold hoop in each ear, but he spoils the mood by suggesting that Skinner might wear the fake parrot on his shoulder at work next week. The mental image of our boss presiding over a budget meeting with a stuffed bird on the shoulder of his crisp, white shirt causes me to choke on a mouthful of rice. The resulting coughing fit ends in a long cuddle as Mulder's thumps on my back turn into soothing caresses. This is nice. I could really get used to it. Which is why I end the too-good feeling for the moment. I'm not quite ready to go straight from spewing rice at my partner to screwing him senseless. Maybe in a couple more hours. It's now one in the morning, but I'm not the least bit tired. I don't really want to go home, either. We did come here with a particular plan in mind, so we might as well get to it. I push out of his arms and look up into his face. He lowers his head as if to kiss me, but I put my fingers over his lips and smile. "Go put the video in now, Mulder. I want to see this movie you've been raving about all night." He snorts a laugh, even as his brows glower at my diversionary tactic. "You're a nasty, teasing wench, Agent Scully. Is this how you treat all your dates?" Well that remark was a surprise. By the look on Mulder's face, he wasn't expecting to say that word, either. I raise an eyebrow at him. "Are we on a date?" He shrugs and gives me a soft grin. "Only by accident. If Skinner's party hadn't been so weird, we might have stayed there, instead. But yeah, I'd call this a date. I'll make popcorn, we've got drinks and a movie, so it must be a date." A date with Mulder. What a lovely idea. I could get very maudlin and mushy over such a thought, so I do the only thing I can think to do under the circumstances. I bounce a bit on the couch cushions to diffuse the atmosphere. "The chairs are more comfortable than the theater, though." He smiles and bounces, too. "So this is better?" "Much better." His blissful smile almost blinds me before he gets up to clear away supper and make the popcorn he promised. I grab some of the empty containers and head out to the kitchen with him. We're a team, partners. If we're going to take that to the utmost level of its meaning, then I should share in the small things, like cleaning up, too. He microwaves a bag of Orville Redenbacher's best while I fish a couple cans of soda out of the fridge. We carry our booty back out to the living room and I settle on the couch while he pops the video into the VCR. Mulder sits down right next to me, hips touching, then snakes his arm between my shoulders and the back of the couch. He looks at me to make sure it's all right. I smile and turn my attention to the beginning of the movie. It's nice sitting here, snuggled up with my best friend, munching on popcorn and watching the cheesiest movie ever made, bar none. It might have been even nicer to be lying in bed with him right now, our naked limbs twined together as we slowly recovered from our frantic lovemaking. I'd whisper into his ear just to hear him groan again. Maybe he'd whisper back to find out if I'd do the same. We could fall asleep in each other's arms and wake up when dawn sent fingers of warm light across the bed. Or one of us might stir in the middle of the night, hungry for the taste of lips against lips. Maybe it would be me. We'd make languid, drowsy love and fall back to sleep before the fresh sweat had cooled on our skins. We could -- Oh well. Not tonight. But soon, I can feel it. My skin is tingling with the possibilities. At least we have this -- our first date. Even if it's just by accident. And the next time Mulder wants us to imitate his picture, I'll make sure I've had more than a cup of yogurt beforehand, so I don't miss out on the good parts. THE END xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ROUND ROBIN - DONNILEE'S CHAT CHALLENGE ELEMENTS ISSUED (IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE): Rain on Halloween; Mulder or Scully whispering a secret; A ridiculous or sexy Halloween costume; An Elvis impersonator; A bizarre website - and it has to be a REAL one; Describe or explain a piece of artwork in Mulder's apartment; A tender love scene. Authors (in order of appearance): Cybill cybill@pacbell.net FatCat Fatcat33047@yahoo.com Song sdcsong@yahoo.com Carma carmabell@sbcglobal.net Xfilesopus xfilesopus@msn.com Donnilee donnilee@snet.net mimic117 mimic1172@gmail.com