"I cannot believe we are seriously going to this team building seminar," Mulder said for what seemed the millionth time since they left D.C. Scully simply shook her head and reached for her bag coming around the baggage carousel.

"Mulder, you know there was no way out of it. Skinner is insistent that we do this, you heard him," she said, setting her bag down and keeping an eye out for his. He sighed beside her and shook his head.

"If I could find a way out of it, are you onboard?" Mulder asked her with a waggle of his eyebrows. She rolled her eyes at him, but nodded slightly with a smile. He winked at her and nodded back, catching sight of his bag and reaching for it.

"I wonder if we'll be able to tell who the other agents are … oh, that has to be them. God, Scully. Do we look like that?" he asked as he saw the two agents walking toward them, suits similar to theirs. She elbowed him lightly in the ribs, a warning to be nice.

"Are you Agents Mulder and Scully?" the man asked hesitantly. Scully nodded, sticking out her hand before Mulder could say anything rude or condescending.

"Agent Scully, pleasure to meet you, Agent …?"

"Kinsley, and this is my partner Agent Stonecypher," he said, gesturing to the blonde woman beside him. She smiled and they all shook hands.

"We have the car already and I see you have your bags, so let's get this show on the road," Agent Kinsley said with a chuckle and Agent Stonecypher joined in.

Scully heard Mulder groan beside her, before he placed his hand on her back with more force than usual. She glanced at him and he gave her a look, causing her to bite back a laugh. If she started now, it would be bad for both of them.

They followed the other agents to the car and began their journey away from the airport. Mulder's leg was bouncing as they drove and she knew he was dreading this seminar with every fiber of his being. They were being forced to go as they had not done so before, especially as partners. Scully had not been to one in years and Mulder told her he had never been to one. Considering they had them every year, she was surprised it had taken this long for them to be made to attend. She highly suspected Mulder had intervened in the past somehow and now they were forced to carpool with these agents as a result.

"So, you two flew in from D.C. right?" Agent Kinsley asked cheerfully.

"Yes, we just arrived as you met up with us," Scully answered as she heard Mulder sighing beside her.

"We came in from Georgia, not too bad of a flight. How about you? Pretty smooth sailing, or flying, I suppose?" he asked with another chuckle at his own joke. Agent Stonecypher laughed again and Scully wondered if she truly thought he was funny, or if she was used to laughing at his dumb jokes.

"Not too bad," Scully answered, hating this small talk. "Um, a bit bumpy in the middle, but otherwise okay." She glanced at Mulder for confirmation and he stared at her as if she had grown a second head. Turning toward the window, she bit back a smile.

"Oh, I'm so looking forward to the wine and cheese reception," Agent Stonecypher said, smiling at Agent Kinsley. "Last year, it was … oh my goodness, so much fun. This one guy, Agent Reine, he had us in absolute stitches telling us about his cases. He's a big guy and he gets so into the characters, you're going to really like him when you meet him. His partner, Agent Turner, he's a smaller more serious guy, but after a few glasses of wine, he's an absolute hoot." Mulder's leg begin to bounce more and Scully tapped him with her knee to stop him. He gave her the puppy dog eyes and she smiled in spite of her determination to not let him see her amusement.

"The courses this year look like a lot of fun too," Agent Stonecypher said as she looked at the itinerary guide in her hands. Scully had a hard time not groaning audibly when she saw the title, Creative Team Seminar. She had seen the titles of some of the courses and she was not looking forward to doing them with Mulder.

"Oh yeah, there are some good ones this year. Last year was something of a personal revelation. We were doing an exercise called team builders? Where we were given two minutes to build a tower out of ordinary office furniture." Agent Kinsley said looking at Agent Stonecypher.

"When I stood on Mike's shoulders and I put that electric pencil sharpener on top of the pile, we both knew, we could never have done it alone," she said with a look back at him.

Scully felt Mulder lean close to her. "Kill me now," he whispered to her and she fought back a smile.

"You ever been to one of these team seminars, Agent Scully?" Agent Kinsley asked.

"Umm ... I think I went to a constructive problem solving course when I first joined the Bureau," Scully said remembering that awful, boring class. She saw and felt Mulder's eyes on her.

"Oh, did you play that game where, um, you can't use any negative words?" Agent Stonecypher asked, looking back at Scully.

"I couldn't believe how hard it was not to use the word 'but,'" Agent Kinsley said, excitement in his voice.

"I'm having that same problem right now," Mulder said, and Scully tried not to smile again, knowing how annoying he found this conversation.

"Have you ever been to a team seminar, Agent Mulder?" Agent Stonecypher asked, her tone sounding slightly annoyed herself.

"No, you know unfortunately around this time of year, I always develop a severe hemorrhoidal condition," Mulder said, glancing at Scully as she once more tried not to laugh.

"Well, it builds muscles you didn't even know you had," Agent Kinsley said, happiness in his voice.

"Communication. That's the key," Agent Stonecypher said, looking over her shoulder at Scully, who smiled politely before catching Mulder's eye as he looked at her unbelievingly. This woman was going to tell them about communicating? She could read him with just a glance and did not need any pointers. She looked out her window and tried not to roll her eyes.

Agent Kinsley began to slow the car down before proceeding to a full stop, as they all saw red and blue flashing lights. An officer walked up to his open window and Scully was instantly curious as to what was happening up ahead.

"Sorry, folks, it'll be a few minutes," he said.

"What's going on, officer?"Agent Kinsley asked.

"Got a little situation is all."

Scully turned as she heard Mulder opening his car door and stepping out and away from the vehicle. What the hell was he doing? The drive was not exactly her idea of a good time, but it was not "bolt when the car stops moving" bad.

"Where's he going?" Agent Kinsley asked, and Scully wished she had an answer for him.

Agent Kinsley pulled the car closer to the side of the road, and they all got out. Scully could see a woman talking to Mulder, but she could not hear the conversation. Everything within her was screaming to grab him and pull him back to the car. On the other hand, she really did not want to go to the conference. She kept an eye on him, waiting for his return. Instead of returning however, he began to walk into the forest.

Jesus Christ, Mulder, she thought, come on.

"Now where's he going?" Agent Stonecypher asked, looking at Scully with annoyance. Not answering her, Scully instead began to follow Mulder, into yet another forest.

She passed many people, obviously who were on some kind of manhunt, but she did not ask any questions. Her only
task was to find Mulder, bring him back to the car, get back on the road, and put this horrible conference behind them. Following a path, and the sound of Mulder's voice, she found him quickly.

He was speaking to a woman, already invested in whatever was going on around him. She knew him well enough to recognize that look in his eyes; he was all in whatever it was that had caught his fancy. She sighed and waited impatiently as he continued his conversation, looking at her watch, hoping to signal to him that they needed to get moving.

"Mulder?" she finally called, giving him a look.

"Oh, just, uh ... hold on a second," he said, glancing her way, before turning back to the woman. "What about the boy's father?"

"I tracked him all the way down to where he fired the shots. The ground's rocky, but from the depressions in the underlying soil, I can tell you that he entered the bushes from over there where I pick up another set of tracks – two distinctly different sets of tracks that from the way the ground's upset that is probably where the man was attacked," Scully heard her say as she followed them.

"But no other sign of him? Do you have panther in these woods?" She heard Mulder ask and she groaned internally. Please, no. Not a trip in the woods, she thought.

"There's panther. Bear." Great, Scully thought and missed the rest of the conversation as she imagined being attacked by a bear. The woman was leaving when she realized she needed to once again remind him of their current plan.

"Mulder? We've got this conference. They're waiting," she said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Yeah. How do I say this without using any negative words, Scully?" he asked and she knew exactly what was going to happen and all of a sudden she wanted to laugh.

"You want me to tell them that you're not going to make it to this year's teamwork seminar," she said, trying to hide her smile.

"Yeah, you see that?" he asked as he grabbed onto her arms and squeezed. "We don't need that conference. We have communication like that, unspoken. You know what I'm thinking." He walked away, no doubt to bother that woman some more.

She shook her head and watched him walk away. Sighing, she turned around to go back and inform the other agents they would not be joining them for the team building seminar. She was happy to get out of it sure, but if it meant actually working and hunting for a man in the woods, well, that conference was sounding better and better.

Agents Kinsley and Stonecypher were waiting at the car, both with their arms crossed, as she approached. She explained what was happening and asked them to drop her off at the nearest motel. An officer directed them to one about five miles down the road.

Arriving at the motel, she arranged for two rooms and got their bags from the car. Thanking them for their help, she said goodbye and watched them drive away, not too sorry to see them leave. Taking both of their bags into her own room, she sat on her bed, and took a deep breath. She had something weighing on her, something that she needed to be honest about to both herself and Mulder.

Since her cancer had gone into remission, she had been thinking about things differently. Being ill, not knowing what to expect from one day to the next and almost dying, had left many things unsaid and definitely unexperienced. Lying in her hospital bed with Father McCue there to pray with her, absolutely certain she was going to die, she had still been unable to face her biggest fear and tell Mulder how she felt about him.

Being given a new lease on life, she knew she should talk to him, but she was a coward. Every day she tried to open her mouth and speak, but then fear bubbled up and nothing was said. Later, when she lay awake at night, the words she did not say were spoken in a whisper, but heard by no one.

This conference though, after all the mind numbing classes, she had made plans to try, and now … well now it looked like that chance had gone down the drain. She stood up and paced the room, thinking once again how they never seemed to be in the right place to talk about their feelings. She knew he cared for her, but to what extent?

God, she thought, putting her hands on her hips and looking at the ceiling. Another opportunity missed and she felt stuck, no way to move forward. With another sigh, she closed her eyes and dropped her hands from her hips. Opening her eyes, a plan came to her, and she hurried to put it in motion. She took his bag to his room, dropped the key with the manager, called for a cab and then called Mulder to tell him about the motel she found and where to find his room key.

The cab arrived ten minutes later and she asked to be taken to the nearest grocery store. Walking inside a few minutes later, she picked up some little bottles of wine, some wrapped cheeses, crackers, a tray, and some small plastic cups. She smiled as she looked at the small offering she had to present to him, a way to break the ice and maybe finally get them talking. She purchased all the items, got back in the cab, and returned to the motel. Walking into her room, she set everything down on the

dresser and stared at them. She took off her coat and her shoes, pacing the room again, before she got the tray of things ready.

Sitting on the bed when she was finished, she stared at the tray of goodies and almost threw it all in the trash, knowing this could be a horrible idea. A door slamming behind her made her jump and clued her in to the fact that Mulder had finally arrived at the motel. Her heart pounded as she stood up, ready to put her plan in action.

"Okay, I can do this," she said to herself, slipping her shoes back on and grabbing the tray. She looked in the mirror and nodded, slipped two extra bottles of wine in her pockets, picked up her room key and walked out the door.

Standing in front of his room, she took a deep breath and knocked on the door. "It's open!" she heard him call out before she reached for the doorknob and opened the door, presenting the tray as she walked in the room.

"Who cut the cheese?" he quipped.

"Since you won't be making it to the conference …" she said, keeping it light.

"Partaaayyy!" he joked again.

"However, I must remind you this goes against the Bureau's policy of male and female agents consorting in the same motel room while on assignment," she said as she opened a bottle of wine.

"Try any of that Tailhook crap on me, Scully, I'll kick your ass," he said and she smiled and began to pour the wine into the glasses. "Pop quiz. What animal will attack the strongest leaving the weakest to escape? The answer is none. Not one of the over 4,000 species native to North America will attack the strongest when the weak is vulnerable."

She thought about what he was saying and why he was saying it. "And what does that have to do with anything?" she asked him as she capped the wine bottle and picked up their glasses, walking toward him and handing him his glass.

"It makes me think that what we're dealing with here is no ordinary predator," he said taking his glass from her.

"I thought this was just a ploy to get out of the conference," she said with a confused look on her face.

"I think what we've stumbled upon here is something more than local authorities realize. The scenario described by that boy sounds to me like a primitive culling technique," he explained.

"Mulder, we're in Western Florida. The closest thing to primitive down here is living in a beachfront retirement condo," she said, not understanding what he could possibly mean.

"Those woods are as old as anything in the south and there's 800 square miles of them. There's no telling what's alive out there," he said as he stood up.

"Where are you going?" she asked

"I've got to check something out," he said, grabbing his jacket and sliding it on.

"You know, Mulder, sometimes I think some work on your communication skills wouldn't be such a bad idea," she said and he continued putting on his jacket.

"I'll be back soon, and we can build a tower of furniture. Okay?" he said with a smile.

"Mulder," she said with exasperation.

"What?"he asked, his hand on the doorknob, ready to leave.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to speak to the mother and the kid who lost his father. The Asekoff's.
See if they know more than they do or if he can remember anything more. There, is that enough communication for you?" he said with a smile and she knew he was playing around, but also was going to head to their house.

"Mulder, it's late. You show up there now, you're going to either scare them that something terrible has happened, or give them false hope that he has been found. Why in the world do you need go over there right now?"she asked him, staring in his eyes.

"Scully, their family member is missing. Wouldn't you want to know or do anything to help the situation along?"

"Mulder, you have no new information, you're going over on a hunch, and plying them for information. How is that
helpful to them, especially tonight and after the day they've had?" she asked, shaking her head. He stared at her and she raised her eyebrows at him. "There is no reason that your questioning can't wait until tomorrow. Or, even not at all."

"Not at all? What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, Mulder," she said with a sigh, picking up his glass of wine and heading toward him. "The point was to find something to get out of the conference, right? It's what you wanted, and it's what we got. Instead of running off into the woods, chasing after people who most likely were simply attacked by an animal, then ran off getting themselves lost in the process, well … why not just stop? Let the local authorities deal with this, let them see what they see and then if they need help, well, we're right here." She handed him his glass of wine and he stared at it and then her. She smiled slightly and he held her gaze, staring in her eyes, an inner battle being fought. He finally nodded and smiled at her, taking a drink of his wine and shrugging out of his jacket. She grinned and turned toward the bed to grab some cheese and crackers.

"Fine, Scully, you win," he said, dropping his jacket back on the chair and taking another large drink of wine, draining the glass. "However, if your plan was to get me drunk, I'd say that the plan failed." He waggled his eyebrows at her and showed her his empty glass. She rolled her eyes and took the other small bottles of wine from her pockets, smirking at his impressed expression.

"Well, okay," he said, holding his glass out for more wine. She smiled and opened a bottle, refilling his and then adding to her own. Clinking their plastic cups together, they both grinned and took a drink.

He sighed and moved his jacket before sitting in the chair. Scully took the tray off the bed and put it on the desk, closing his computer as she did. Opening the cheese, she offered one to him and then a few crackers. He took them with a nod, and she sat in the chair he had recently vacated.

For a few minutes they were quiet as they dipped the crackers in the cheese and sipped their wine. There were still a couple more bottles in her room and she would get them if that was where the night took them.

He shook his head and looked at her, causing her to raise her eyebrows as she chewed. "Could you imagine doing this in a room full of other agents, being forced to make small talk and laugh at stupid jokes? I can't believe both Kinsley and Stonecypher were excited to go and work on those classes. It's the absolute worst," he said, shaking his head.

"Is it? I was under the impression you had never gone before," she said as she licked some cheese from her finger. His eyes widened slightly and she tried not to smile, sucking on them longer than necessary, to see what he would do.

He cleared his throat and took a drink, choking on it a little and she took pity on him and took her finger from her mouth. "I … uh, I didn't say I had never been, just not a team one. It was around when I joined and it was not a partner's one. It … it wasn't great and so I avoid them as much as possible," he said, taking another drink and glancing at her. She stared at him and he sighed before taking a big gulp of his wine and setting the glass down.

"I arrived a day early, hoping to take some time to rest. A case I had been working on had run me down. I went down to the bar and ran into this woman. I'd never seen her before, but we got to talking and drinking … and one thing led to another …" he looked at Scully and then away.

"Ahhh, a little conference buddy, huh?" Scully said with a smile.

"It was terrible. Oh … not the …"

"No, I got that," she laughed, slightly uncomfortable, but also feeling the warmth of the wine giving her more courage than usual. "So you had some extracurricular activities going on? Seems it would make it better, not worse."

"No, it was just the once … in all aspects and uh … I left before she woke up," he said draining his glass and glancing at her again. She picked up the other bottle and opened it, reaching out to fill his glass for him. He nodded his thanks and took a breath before continuing. "Well, I thought I wouldn't see her again and then there she was at the conference. A fellow agent, which I hadn't been aware of the night before, I was then forced to work with and make awkward conversation. It was terrible."

"So … that's why you don't like going? You're worried you might run into her again?" Scully asked mock seriously.

"Jesus Christ! Her?" he nearly shouted. "No! God, Scully." She laughed and poured more wine into her glass, the third bottle now empty. "No, I don't worry about seeing her. I just … in my experience and from hearing from others, it's more of a hookup type thing, after the seminars anyway, and that's not really … I'm …" he trailed off, his eyes on the floor.

"You don't have to participate, in those activities if you don't want to," she said with a smile. "But this time would have been different." He looked up at her and her stomach dropped. His eyes burned into hers and her breath caught.

"How so?" he asked quietly.

"Well, we would have been there together and we could have avoided any … situations that were undesirable. We could have done something that didn't involve standing in a conference room or a bar waiting to be chatted up, like some lonely desperate people," she said shrugging her shoulders. He hummed and nodded, breaking eye contact, and taking a drink.

"What would we have done?" he asked quietly.

"I … I don't know," she said equally as quietly.

"What … what if I had wanted to sit in a bar and chat with you?" he asked quietly again, his eyes never leaving her face. Her mouth went dry and she had a hard time getting words out.

"That … it would have been fine. I wouldn't have minded that," she said softly.

"Isn't that what he did?"

"What?" she asked, genuinely confused.

"Him. The fake me, Eddie Van Blundht. You said he chatted you up, that … he brought over wine and you … talked," he said, looking away.

Jesus Christ, he was bringing that up now? she thought.

"You say 'talked' as if that's not what we were doing," she said a bit harshly.

Memories of Eddie as Mulder sliding closer to her always made her feel confused. It had been Mulder, at least to her. He brought over wine and his intentions were more than clear, but she thought it was Mulder who wanted to get to know her, to just talk and maybe more. And it had been Mulder, until it was clear it was not.

"Just talking?" he laughed, setting his glass down and leaning forward in the chair. "That's not what I saw when I walked in."

"Walked in?" she laughed bitterly. "You busted the goddamn door off its hinges, instead of knocking or even calling for that matter. What were you so worried was going to happen? What kind of danger did you assume I was in that justified breaking down the door that way?"

He stood up and threw his hands in the air. "Are you fucking kidding me? He did exactly what I assumed he would, exactly what he had done to those other women. Pretended to be the person they wanted in order to get what he wanted. I knew exactly what he would do as soon as I saw him looking just like me," he said, his voice rising and anger in his eyes.

Finally, after all this time, he was talking to her about that night. For weeks after that case, she caught him looking at her before he looked away, sometimes shaking his head as if on the verge of saying something, but then changing his mind. Some days were spent in near silence, and it made her crazy. Now it seemed, the truth was coming out and it was what she always suspected; he had been jealous and upset at what he saw when he busted into her apartment.

She stood too, anger coursing through her. So much time had passed and he was going to throw this at her feet now? Oh, hell no.

"And what exactly did you think Mulder, that I would just fall into bed with him, because I'm incapable of withstanding your charm? He brings over wine, something you've never done, and what, my panties would have been across the room and we would have fucked right there on the floor? Because I'm that easy? Sweet talk and wine is all it takes to get me in bed, is that what you think of me?" she shouted at him, the plans for a pleasant night gone out the window, as she now wanted to throttle him.

"Jesus, Scully," he said, his voice rising. "Of course I don't think that way, but five women had been impregnated, and all of them thought they had been with their spouse or someone desired yet unattainable. He was impersonating me, of course he would come and try to cozy up to you."

"Try being the operative word, Mulder. Try. You didn't find us in a compromising position, no one was undressed, Jesus, he hadn't even kissed me," she said crossing her arms.

"YET! But what if I hadn't come in when I did? Would you have let him kiss you? You didn't seem to be too upset at the idea, in fact you seemed quite receptive to it," he shouted at her.

"Because I thought it was you, you asshole!" she yelled back, shocking him, if the look on his face was any indication. "I thought the man who brought over wine and said he wanted to talk was you. Why would I have thought otherwise?" she stared at him and they both fell silent, as they realized what the other said.

"You … you thought he would come to me because … I desired you or you desired me?" she asked quietly.

"You thought it was me trying to kiss you?" he asked at the same time.

"Of course I did," they answered in unison.

He stepped toward her and she felt again what she felt that night on her couch. Nervous, scared, not sure what he was doing, but also absolutely sure she wanted to find out.

His eyes were intense as he moved another step closer. They had been that night too, but now she knows how wrong she was to think they were her Mulder's eyes. The fake Mulder's eyes were too focused on her own, and not traveling all over her face as he was doing now, as he always did, seeming to memorize her when he looked at her. Watching and reading her eyes, while learning her face simultaneously.

"You thought it was me?" he asked again, quietly. He was closer to her now, though not touching, his eyes moving across her face. She nodded, her heart in her throat halting her speech momentarily.

"You," she cleared her throat and licked her lips. "You said yourself that he impersonated those women's husbands and … even Luke Skywalker for Amanda. He … he gave them what they wanted … who they wanted." Her heart was pounding at the boldness she was exhibiting, telling him but not telling him she wanted him.

He knew though, she saw it in his eyes. She saw them dilate as his breathing paused and he stepped closer to her. The heat from his body and the smell of the wine on his breath, made her feel dizzy with want.

"You … you would have kissed him, believing he was me? Why? What did he do? What did he do that I ... haven't?" he asked softly, her eyes closing at both the low timbre in his voice and the sadness she heard in his question. An answer was not forthcoming as she had to concentrate on making sure oxygen was entering her lungs.

"Scully …" he breathed, and she felt his breath against her cheek and then the roughness of his unshaven face. Unbidden, she began to tremble. Taking a step back, she opened her eyes and looked at him.

Her hands, as if possessing a mind of their own, moved to his chest. His heart was racing under her hand and she knew it matched her own. "What did he do, Mulder?" she asked him softly, looking from her hands on his chest, to his eyes. "He made a move and took a chance." Staring at him, she waited, her hands moving toward his haphazard tie.

Her fingers clutched his tie and tugged lightly, sending a signal to him. His hands moved to her waist and she took a ragged breath, her eyes landing on his lips.

"Mulder," she whispered. "Kiss …"

His lips on hers silenced any further words as she fell into him. He pulled her closer and she tightened her grip on his tie, pulling him closer to her. His fingers dug into her waist and she gasped, opening her mouth and allowing him access, which he wasted no time in taking. His tongue slid in and she moaned at the sensation. He tasted like wine, tangy cheese, and sunflower seeds.

Moving his hands to her back and her neck, he held her in place as he explored her mouth. She moved her arms around his neck, pulling him closer, wanting to never break from this kiss, but knowing that was impossible as she was already in desperate need of air.

He pulled back from her, both of them breathing hard. He stared at her and she saw him second guessing what they just did and she was not going to have it. Hands on his tie again, she pulled him and kissed him hard, moving her hands from his tie, and around his neck again. Scratching at his neck, he gasped this time and she slid her tongue along his bottom lip and into his mouth.

Moaning, he gripped her waist tighter and she felt him hardening against her, making her head spin. Their tongues were stroking and she felt weak with her desire, the wine in her belly stoking the fire that began five years ago when she met this crazy man. She slid her hands up into his hair and he bent his knees and lifted her, making her break from their kiss and shout in surprise.

Wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, she stared at him as they stood in the middle of a shabby motel room, clinging to one another. Searching his face, her fingers trailing lightly across his neck and into his hair, she smiled at him. His swollen lips looked more delicious than usual, she had to kiss him again.

Bending her head to do so, he pulled his head back and smiled at her. "Is this a good enough move, Scully?" he asked softly, tightening his hold on her. She smiled and nodded. "Good … but, I think we can do better." He spun and stepped forward a couple of steps, pushing her into the door. She cried out and he covered her mouth with his own, kissing her deeply.

He moved down her neck, kissing and sucking at her skin. She moaned and pulled at his hair, bringing his mouth back to hers, their tongues clashing. She slid down a little and felt him harder than before, making her ache with need. No chance would she be leaving this room without being naked with him, no chance at all.

She pulled back, kissing him softly once more. "Put me down," she demanded, loosening her legs. He helped set her down and she began undoing the buttons on her jacket, throwing it on the chair beside her. Mulder looked at her with wide eyes and she smiled.

"Scully," he said, clearing his throat, but she was not going to be dissuaded. Her shirt came off next and joined her jacket, as he exhaled loudly, his eyes falling to her chest. She wished for a second that she was wearing a sexier bra, but by the look on his face, she knew it would have made no difference.

She reached for the button on her pants and he stepped close to stop her. She stared at him and he shook his head before he let go of her hand and reached for his tie. Loosening it, he tossed it with her jacket and then unbuttoned his shirt, taking it off and adding it to the pile. Only then did he reach for her again, his arms wrapping around her, his fingers locking together.

He kissed her, his tongue sliding across her lips, before he sucked her bottom lip into his mouth, making her whimper. "Tit for tat," he whispered in her ear, before kissing her jaw again and down along her clavicle. She moaned and panted out her breath, her heart racing.

"Not exactly," she said, pushing against his chest and reaching behind her to unhook her bra and slide it off her body, throwing it on the chair. He stared at her chest open- mouthed and groaned. His eyes flicked back to her face and she smiled, happy he would find her body pleasing. Losing weight from the cancer had left her feeling a bit self conscious. Apparently, he liked what he saw.

Dragging his fingers across her sides and up her stomach, making her shiver, he slowly took her breasts in his hands. His thumbs grazed her nipples and she cried out, grabbing onto his arms. He did it again and her head dropped back as she thrust her chest toward him.

"Jesus, Scully, you're so beautiful," he whispered. She raised her head and he looked from her breasts to her eyes. "I mean, of course I knew you were, are, but damn …" She smiled and reached for the bottom of his under shirt, lifting it and making him move his hands to take it off. Another item added to the chair and it was her turn to touch naked flesh, causing him to shiver.

He took her hand from his chest and led her to the bed, his eyes questioning, asking if she was sure. She tugged his hand and he stopped walking. "I want this, Mulder. I want … I want you," she said quietly, her hand on his chest. He smiled and lifted her fingers to his lips.

"See that? You know what I'm thinking, communication unspoken," he said, kissing her fingers and stepping to the bed. He held her face in his hands and kissed her until she pulled back, once again out of breath.

Her shoes were kicked off and this time he did not stop her as she took off her pants. Glad she had taken her pantyhose off earlier, she now stood before him in black silky underwear. He groaned and she reached for his belt, needing to see and touch him.

He helped her to unbuckle, unbutton and unzip his pants, before kicking them aside along with his shoes and socks. Standing in a pair of gray boxers, his erection straining against the fabric, he smiled at her.

He pulled the blankets down and looked at her, asking again with his eyes. She trailed the backs of her fingers up his chest and then down to the waistband of his underwear, her fingers sliding under as she took him in her hand and made him gasp.

God, he was big. She knew it already, having seen him nude previously, but not like this, hard and hot in her hand. She stroked and he let out a deep breath, his eyes closing and his body pitching forward.

"Get … get on the bed," he rasped out, grabbing her wrist roughly and taking it from inside his boxers. Her breath caught when he grabbed her and the way he stared at her, she knew he noticed that she liked it. He let go after a quick squeeze and she followed his instructions.

Laying down, she watched him come closer to her. He placed his left knee on the bed and then the right on the other side of her body. With his arms beside her head, she was completely contained by him, and the actuality of it made her tremble.

She looped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. Slow, sensual kisses that made her pulse race and core ache. He broke from the kiss and moved down her body, kissing her neck, her shoulders, down to her breasts. He licked at a nipple, then sucked the breast into his mouth. She arched into him and he moved to the other breast.

"Mulder, oh God," she breathed, her hands in his hair, as she bit her lip. His hands were on her hips, his nails scraping lightly. "Oh, Jesus, that feels so good, Mulder."

He raised his head and looked up at her with a grin, coming back up to kiss her, then continuing on his path down her body. He kissed her belly button, across her stomach, and then stopped at the waistband of her underwear, which she knew would be damp to the touch. He raised his head again and she nodded, running her fingers in his hair.

His fingers slid in the sides of her underwear and pulled them down her body. She watched him as he did and goddamn, she could come just from that image alone. Mulder was taking off her underwear.

Finally.

"Jesus Christ, Scully," he said, shaking his head as he looked at her. "You are so fucking beautiful. So amazingly gorgeous." She opened her legs and he stumbled toward her, running his hands up her legs as he loomed over her again.

"Mulder, please," she said, holding his arms as he came closer.

"Please what, Scully?" he whispered, nuzzling into her neck.

"Please me, Mulder," she whispered back, feeling his covered erection bump against her naked flesh. She opened her legs wider, wrapping her legs around his waist, making it clear what she wanted. "Please me …"

"God, Scully," he breathed, pulling back enough to get his boxers off, and coming back to the cradle of her thighs.

"Just … slow. It's been a while," she whispered as she felt him positioning himself. He pushed in and she arched her back, gripping the sheets.

"Wait," he said, pulling out and making her moan. "I don't have a condom. We …"

"We're good, Mulder," she said, moving her hands to hold his face. She nodded as he looked at her and she tightened her legs around his waist.

He slid back in, slowly, like she asked. With every inch, she felt her body opening to accept him. When he was in to the hilt, he paused and she exhaled. He pulled out and slid back in, his eyes on hers the entire time. She moaned and breathed his name, the feel of him inside her the most wonderful pleasure she had ever experienced. He was big and thick, filling her completely. It was not going to take long for her to come as she already felt her orgasm building.

"Scully," he breathed, looking at her as he thrust slowly, his eyes saying so much. He felt so good, better than even her most intimate fantasy. He began going faster and she held onto his arms. "Jesus, you feel so good. Oh, God. Scully …" He repeated her name, increasing her desire.

"Yes, Mulder. God, oh my God. Oh Mulderrrrrr," she cried as she came, tightening around him as pleasure coursed through her. "Oh Mulder … oh … ohhhhh …" She gripped his shoulders as he continued thrusting into her, faster and harder.

"Scully, God, I'm close," he said and she looked in his eyes, wrapping her arms around him, her nails scratching down his back. "Jesus, Scully."

Thrusting twice more, he came, calling out her name as he did. She held him to her, arms and legs wrapped around him. He fell onto her, breathing hard, sweaty and spent. She worked on catching her breath, as she held him, her body still thrumming with pleasure and release.

"Scully," he whispered, kissing her neck and then her lips. "God, Scully." He stared in her eyes and she smiled, running her hands up and down his back. He shook his head and she tilted hers.

"Better than your last conference experience?" she asked cheekily, before he could speak, and his eyes widened. She laughed softly and touched a hand to his face, holding his gaze.

"Oh, she's got jokes people," he said as she giggled. He rolled them to the side, still together. His eyes searched hers and she saw worry behind them.

"Mulder?" she asked, touching his lips.

"It was too fast," he said quietly. "I … you …"

She smiled and kissed him softly. "Mulder, it most definitely was not." She stared at him, letting her words sink in and he smiled before he kissed her, rolling her onto her back.

He moved and slipped from inside her, a concerned look on his face. She smiled and pulled him back for a kiss, wrapping her legs around him again, lazily running her feet across the backs of his calves.

"I'm too heavy," he murmured into her neck and she hummed in disagreement, stroking his hair and down to his back. He kissed her neck and she hummed again, this time in approval, making him laugh.

"Mulder," she whispered, her heart light and happy. "We really should have done that long ago."

"No shit," he breathed against her neck and she laughed, holding him tighter. He joined in her laughter, before raising his head and kissing her, whispering that this time would not be fast, making her heart race and her stomach flutter.

He was good on his word.

Both times.