Dark

by Ma'echii

Just a piece of fluff and banter.

Title: Dark Author: Ma'echii'
Category: MSR, banter, fluff?
Spoilers: Is it needed? If you seen 'em, you'll know 'em.
Notes: Written for the Mulder's Refuge April 2003 challenge Disclaimer: Not mine, yadda, yadda Beta: Obfusc8er

Dark

By Ma'echii'

FBI headquarters, Wash DC X-files office Time of year, time of day: figure it out. ;op

On a typical quiet workday between cases, two rebel agents in the basement X-Files office slaved away over the burgeoning accumulation of paperwork and expense reports. Chairs creaked and groaned under shifting weights, papers and folders rustled about and occasionally fluttered to the floor unheeded, keyboards clattered away for long stretches, sticking desk and file drawers were struggled with, and repeated forays for coffee, water, the little agents room, and one short one for lunch peppered the activities of the day.

There were periodic groans and hisses with the stretching and cracking of straightening and twisting backs and rolled, weary necks. Then there were occasional offerings of neck and shoulder rubs. Those came with moans and sighs of relief and pleasure.

Nothing much was said throughout, for nothing much was needed to be said in this comfortable and unguarded stretch in their relationship. Nevertheless, it was one long, hard day. Paperwork always is. Hey, I didn't say it wasn't arduous, just...quiet...?

One Fox Mulder was in uncomplaining full steam with the dreaded said paperwork for once. Scully didn't expect it to last very long, but she was both mildly surprised and relieved when his concentration lasted well into the afternoon, with hardly a murmur.

These two were happily (if it's said that paperwork can be done happily) and intently toiling away when suddenly and unexpectedly the lights buzzed and flickered out, leaving them in the dark, only illuminated by the bluish lights of their monitors.

Mulder sat there frozen for a few seconds, wondering what was going on. He blinked and drew a breath, proceeding to save his present document and power down, for the computers remained on protective auxiliary power for a few minutes.

"Save your stuff and turn it all off, Scully."

"I'm way ahead of you, Mulder," she asserted, already powering down her own machine.

Immediately he fumbled for the phone and dialed a well-known number. As usual, Mulder announced himself without preamble. "What is going on? Everything just turned off down here."

"No need to worry," came Skinner's stoic voice over the phone, seeming to anticipate his call. "They're just doing some much needed rewiring in the section of the building that includes your office. We should be back up in a couple hours."

"Oh...well...uh," Mulder began to stammer. There was a confused pause on the other side of the phone.

"Didn't you get my memo about it this morning?"

"Uh...," Mulder began again, gripping the phone between his cheek and shoulder and shuffling through the sliding pile of papers on his desk, straining to see them in the waning sunlight that dimly filtered through the high-set office windows.

"In your email, Agent," Skinner corrected him.

"Uh...," was all Mulder could get out, again. 'Real swift, Mulder,' he chided himself.

"I can hear your cluttered confusion of papers fluttering around, Agent. But never mind. The computer's powered down, you can't see it anyway. In the meantime, enjoy the break while you got it. Carry on, Agents." They both hung up without further ado and Mulder sat there and sighed, scratching his head.

"What was *that* about?" came Scully's voice from across the room. He turned to see her briefly illuminated by the beam of a flashlight she brandished about, the light bouncing around the room as she seemed to fumble with it for a moment.

"Skinner," he provided bluntly. "He said to live it up down here, while we got the chance."

She was very doubtful of that one. "Riiight." There was a half a minute of silence before Mulder spoke up again.

"They're doing some rewiring. We have at least a couple hours, Scully. What should we do?"

She snorted and rolled her eyes, not very discernible in the one dim light in her hands. "Why must *I* come up with something to do when you're bored in an incredible two minutes time?"

He sighed and was silent for another thirty seconds, fidgeting in his chair, which squeaked as it moved and turned while he blindly fiddled with the pencils on his desk.

"Mulder," Scully warned. "Stop the squeaking and rattling."

"You didn't complain about it before," he pouted.

"That's because there was a host of other sounds going on, not this...dead silence."

"How 'bout if I come and squeak and rattle something over there," he sighed and rumbled in a low-octave purr.

Something small and hard bopped him in the head and clattered to the floor. He heard Scully give a short, triumphant laugh at the success of her aim. Mulder rubbed his head and scowled at her, then suddenly bounded across the room, grabbing both her flashlight and the arm that held it and growling comically at her.

She squeaked in surprise and briefly struggled with him, holding on to her coveted possession for dear life. "Muldeeerrr," she cried, trying her darnedest to get it out as a warning, but ended up in laughter. "Get your own flashlight."

"I already have my own flashlight. Why would you need one? Girls don't function that way." She laughed and smacked him, shoving him away when he let go.

"Well this one's mine," she announced in mock haughtiness. The beam dimmed and she hugged it possessively against her chest.

He huffed, flashed a grin at her and stalked off, pretending to be offended.

"Mulder?" Scully called out quietly after him as he disappeared out the door. Her voice seemed to be a tad shaky. "Where are you going?"

"To find a flashlight. The one I've got doesn't seem to be good enough."

"Mulder!" she cried again, laughing. "Cut it out. Honestly."

"There's got to be one in this mess somewhere," came his muffled complaint, as she heard him struggling around in the storeroom.

A couple of minutes passed, and Scully became a little jittery as she watched the light in her hands dim even further. She licked and chewed at her lips. "Mulder?" she called out again. When she got no answer she maneuvered through the room to stand in the open office doorway. She swallowed and steadied her voice, reprimanding herself that she was not going to give in to this childish fear. "Mulder?" She heard him scuffling around.

"Yes?" he called out, oblivious to her predicament.

"Did you find one?"

"I found some light bulbs. Think that'll be any help?"

She could hear the laughter in his voice and she huffed her own short laugh, briefly shaking her head at his usual, weird humor. "Now what in the world is...?" he went on, half to himself. A pause, more scuffling. "Oh, ok..." Then he mumbled something she couldn't hear through all the boxes and shelving.

"What is it?"

"Nothing," he called back. "Nothing important."

"Mulder..." she urged, her voice a trifle shaky again as she watched the light flicker and dim in her hands. "You might want to hurry up. The light in this one is just about..." she observed it intently as it slowly dimmed by degrees and then gave one last bright gasp, and went... "...out."

Pitch blackness.

Scully bit her lip and almost muttered to herself. 'I won't, I won't, I won't.' Pitch blackness in front of her, and as soon as her eyes adjusted, a soft, dim illumination grew behind her, barely touching the dark gray of her clothing. "Mulder?"

A shuffle, then a creak. Mulder's voice finally pierced the darkness, much to Scully's relief, despite the irrationality of its reasons.

"Now I *know* I saw some around here somewhere," he muttered to himself. "Should be right...no...no..." A clink and a strained rustle. "Aaha!" he announced with a crow, stepping out from behind the shelves brandishing a large handled flashlight. It's beam illuminated a good portion of the storeroom where he stood, as well as his face and most of his body as he turned it on himself. He stood there grinning at her. "I *do* believe Elvis has just entered the building." He gave the ol' bump and grind, adding the snarling lip curl in perfect imitation.

She gave him back her usual eyebrow maneuver. Not that he could see it. "Huh, the industrial grade flashlight," she said drolly.

"Scully, the best kind," he said as he strode toward her, moving it about and shining it everywhere in example. "Lights up all those nefarious corners," he murmured ominously as he halted in front of her. He leaned in close, holding the light between them, his breath ruffling a strand of hair that had fallen over her face. "And shows us there's nothing there." He snatched the dead light from her fingers and reached over her, placing it on the filing cabinet to the left of the door.

Scully blinked, fearing for one tense moment that he had seen through her, but he gave no indication that he had, at least from what she could see. She leaned back against the door-jamb and closed her eyes momentarily, drawing in and letting out a deep breath, calming herself now that there was a light.

This time, however, Mulder noticed. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing, nothing," she sighed, shaking her head. "Just a long day."

He frowned and peered at her, doubtful of that statement, but then let it go with a slight one-sided facial shrug. He made a mental note to come back to it later and decided on a different tact. "I heard that," he murmured in her ear as he passed her.

"What?" she laughed in baffled surprise, eyeing him incredulously.

He leaned into her space again and flashed his teeth at her. "That eyebrow. I heard it all the way across the room."

"Pfff," she laughed in a breath. "You did naw-ot."

"Nevertheless," he shrugged with a small wan smile, turning his palms up, flashlight dangling from his fingers. She slapped at his open palm and he instantly gripped her fingers, pulling her toward him and at the same time walking her backwards. He waggled his brows and leaned in her space, continuing to walk her backwards. "Now, about that squeaking and rattling I talked about earlier."

She laughed and pushed back at him, digging in her heals. "Mulder, you know we can't."

He scowled, then stuck out his lower lip.

"But we could do the next best thing," she suggested, grinning adorably up at him and pulling him toward the glass partition. "We could do some major cuddling on the couch back there. We've got the remaining light of the day coming in through the skylight."

"'Bout thirty minutes worth," he grumbled. "And then it's a new moon. Totally in the dark then."

Scully's hopeful smiled dimmed and she let out a huffing sigh. "Come on, Mulder. Cut it out. I know you like cuddling as much as I do. Probably *more* than I do." She poked him in the ankle with her foot and bumped his hip, entwining her fingers in his and smiled hopefully up at him again.

He looked down at her, his lips slowly curving in a gaining smile. "Ok," he acquiesced. "Somebody's bound to win the office pool in one way or another, no matter which way we go about it."

"Who said anything bout winning the office pool?" She put her feet on the tops of his, sliding her arms around his waist and burrowing her hands under his shirt, tickling his bare skin. "Make like Frankenstein, G-man."

"That's Frankenstein's monster, G-woman," he said as he stomped out, hauling her along on his feet, his arms slung over her shoulders, the beam of the flashlight waggling wildly about in front of him. When his feet bumped the leg of the couch, which was sequestered away in the back corner, he dropped her on the cushions with a slightly bouncing plop.

She laughed and flopped over, pulling him down with her. They straightened up, and Scully nuzzled into his side and wrapped her arms around him, flinging a leg over his lap and tucking the other under herself.

He set the flashlight down beside them in their brief scrapple, his right arm enfolding her closer. He toed off his shoes and they both settled in further.

They sat this way for some time...quiet, half drowsing, watching the quickly waning sunlight glowing a dim dark red, then dark purple through the multiple-paned skylight. Throughout, the fingers of his left hand had brushed gently through the silky locks at her temple. Finally, no illumination was left, save for that provided by that industrial grade flashlight. Mulder looked down at the leg draped over his lap and noticed she still had her thick, high-heeled shoes on.
"Scully, you need to take those off, don't you think."

"Mmm-mmm," she protested feebly, pushing at him just as feebly and he gave in all too easily.

"Ok, whatever," he shrugged and yawned, straightening his legs out and arching his back in a leisurely stretch.

"Has it been two hours yet?" she asked sleepily, shifting in his embrace as he eased back against the cushions.

He turned his wrist to peer at his self-illuminated watch. "Nope," he announced. "But I suspect it'll take longer than two hours. What say we find something to do?"

She frowned. "This isn't good enough?"

"No, no...it's perfect, Scully. But there *is* something I'd like to do."

"What's that?"

"Tell you a story. It's a little one..."

"Ok," she agreed rather quickly, brightening at the prospect, beaming up at him like a child at Christmas. He laughed at her expression.

"You're a colossal sucker for such things, you know that, Scully?"

She blinked sleepily back at him. "Uh-huh," she agreed. "Ya gonna tell it," she went on. "Or do I drag it out of you?"

"It's a scary story."

"So?"

Mulder looked hard at her for a few moments, unsure of whether or not he should mention what he saw earlier, but thought better of it. He knew Scully didn't like what she saw as a weakness in herself being so suddenly and bluntly pointed out. She'd deny it and argue, and he didn't want an argument to heat up the bliss he was feeling at the moment. No, he'd have to tease it out of her. "Ok," he finally said, waggling his brows and flashing her a playful grin. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

She only looked back at him with an expectant, yet sleepy gaze.

"Once, in a daark, daark forest..." he began, lowering his voice and brows ominously, staring straight into her eyes.

"This isn't one of those "nice trips to the forest," is it?" she interrupted.

"Scully, you're breaking the rhythm of the story."

"Sorry," she mumbled with a sigh, shifting against him again.

"Once, in a daark, daark forest," he began again. "There was a daark, daark path." He could see her swallow as he went on more ominously. "And down that daark, daark path, was a daark, daaark house."

Now her eyes began to widen and stare back at him.

"And on that daark, daaark house, was a daark, daaark porch."

Her mouth dropped open slightly, showing the tip of her tongue slowly pressing and moving against the backs of her front teeth. Her gaze was very intensely fixed on his face. Her breath began to quicken.

"And up on that daark, daaark porch, was a daaark, daaark door," he went on, his voice slowing and lowering even more as he reached for the flashlight, fingering the switch. "And through that daark, daaark door, was a daaark, daaark foyer."
He brought the flashlight around in front of them on his lap, the beam dancing about the room. He shifted and tensed, his muscles readying for a jolt and he felt her body tense against him in response. "And in that daaark, daaark foyer, was a daaark, daaark..." Abruptly and without warning he let out a scream, vaulting from the couch and bringing them both up on their feet, losing their grips on each other.

She screamed when he screamed as they both fumbled with each other and the light as it winked out, tumbling back on the couch.

"Mulder! Turn that damn light back on!" she shrieked, suddenly unable to control herself, her breathing rapid and strained.

"Ooohoo," he crowed, as he flicked the button of the flashlight, turning the beam back on. He waggled his brows at her as he saw her stricken face. "Is lil' Dana Scully scared of the dark?"

"Shut up, Mulder," she scowled and punched him the ribs, rapidly trying to gain back her control, almost shocked she had lost it so easily. She ducked her head and crossed her arms over her chest, her lower lip jutting out in a diminutive pout.

"Hehehe," Mulder chuckled. "I can't help it; but you look so cute when you do that." Scully huffed and clobbered him one in the shin with her shoe.

"Ouch, hey," he laughed. "Watch it with those things. Those are serious weapons. Better yet," he went on in a mumble, as he reached for her feet, pulling off her shoes and tossing them aside before she could react. "No more impaling body parts."

She scowled and blinked up at him, but said nothing. Instead, she stretched out on the couch, leaning against the arm cushions, and drew her legs up, tucking her feet under his thighs. Then she stuck her tongue out at him while he just sat there, blinking back at her.

"My, my, aren't we mature today."

"Aren't you going to finish the story?" she asked, ignoring his comment.

"Lil' Dana Sully," he sing-songed, sotto voce.

Her legs shifted and he gave out an abrupt squeak and flinch when her toes poked into a mighty sensitive spot.
"Ok, ok," he complained, resettling and giving an exaggerated sigh. "Just sit tight, little kiddies," he deadpanned. "And listen as I tell you a tale."

Her toes poked hard.

"Eeek, Scully!" he yelped, jumping up from his seat. "Be nice," he growled, shifting his pants and other nefarious parts with a wiggle. "You need those."
He eyed her momentarily and then sat back down as he saw a smile slowly creep up at the corners of her mouth. "Now," he said in mock severity, "you want me to finish the story or not?" For one moment he twisted his mouth and turned his eyes aside in a comical thinking expression before turning back to her, her own expression one of barely contained laughter. The inside of her cheek was stuck firmly between her teeth, and her shoulders trembled slightly, as she held her arms tightly across her chest an effort to not laugh.

"Or," he went on. "Would you rather I started over from the beginning?"

"From the beginning," she managed to get out and bit her lower lip. She drew in a tight breath. "But leave the light on."

"You mean this little thing?" he asked, flicking it off, abruptly leaving them in utter, blinding darkness.

"Mulder!" she cried. "Stop it!" She sounded like she was about to cry. His response was immediate and he flicked it back on.

"Ok, I'm sorry," he soothed, giving her leg a gentle squeeze. He saw the gleam of tears pooling uncharacteristically too easily behind her lids, but she didn't let them fall. She blinked them way. "The light stays on."

"Bill used to tease me about that all the time," she confessed with a small sniffle and whimper. She ducked her head, her voice lowering to a quite, self-conscious mumble. "Especially when it was in a basement."

Mulder choked back a laugh. "Now you spend a good portion of your time *in* a basement."

"Yeah," she mumbled again, her head still lowered. "But the lights are usually on." She gave an abrupt sigh and her voice became even quieter, a flush creeping up her cheeks. "And you're usually here. But then, you weren't purposely trying to scare me."

A delighted and affectionate smile slowly washed over Mulder's face, giving it a warm glow. He quietly chuckled, but said nothing.

She flicked her eyes at him and lowered them again when she saw his face, biting her lower lip. "Bill was a total pain when he was a kid."

Still with that smile on his face and still pretending to ignore her adorable confession, he chewed on his own lower lip in effort not to make some smart remark. "So you retaliated and decided to cut up dead people?"

She shrugged, pretending it was nothing. "Something like that."

He smiled. "The light stays on," he reassured her, bending over to kiss the bare skin of her calf where her pant leg had ridden up, one hand firmly gripping her thigh. Still bent over, he craned his neck up to look at her, his puppy-dog eyes in full use. "Am I forgiven?"

She squirmed and nearly giggled at the power that expression had over her.
"Yes," she admitted reluctantly. "For now."

He turned back to kiss her again before sitting up, letting his hand slide down her leg to her calf and leaving it there.

"You're impossible, Mulder."

He grinned and winked at her, causing her to hunch her shoulders and giggle delightfully in a suddenly bashful expression.

"Bastard," she grinned back. "How am I suppose to stay mad at you if do *that*."

He chortled at her. "Exactly. Use everything I have in my arsenal if necessary."

She kicked at him and laughed again. "The story, Mulder."

He paused and looked away out into the darkness of the office, drawing in a deep breath. "Ok, story." He looked back at her expectantly. "From the beginning?"

She nodded, settling further back. "The beginning."

He paused, frowning, then brightened suddenly and leapt up to rummage in a box on the shelving before them. He turned back and grabbed the infamous industrial grade flashlight. He had snatched up several pieces of thin, pale brown sketching paper and proceeded to wrap them loosely over and around the head of the bulky contraption, then snapped a rubber band over it all, effectively dimming it to a soft, reddish glow.

He sat back down and settled the light upright between them, in the midst of the cushions, its reddened beam illuminating just them and the space surround them on the couch. He flashed her a toothy grin.

She only looked back blankly, waiting, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Once, in a dark, dark time," he began ominously. "There was a dark, dark kingdom."

"That isn't the way you started it before," she interrupted.

"Hush, I'm making it better."

She sighed and rolled her eyes, then settled back again.

"And in that dark, dark kingdom, " he continued, all the more ominously, "was a daark, daark forest. And in that daark, daark forest was a dark, dark path."

Scully stared to lean forward, listening intently, watching his intense face, eerily lit up by the flashlight's beam.

His voice slowed and deepened, becoming more ominous with each dark, dark description.

"And down that dark, dark path, was a dark, dark, clearing. And through that dark, dark clearing blew a daaark, coo-oo-lld wind."

Scully suddenly shivered and swallowed, drawing her knees up to her chin and pulling the large afghan from the back of the couch. She dragged it over and around her, with just her nose and eyes peeking out.

Mulder scooted up next to her with the flashlight, grinning evilly in her wide-eyed face. "And at the faaar end of that dark, dark clearing, was a daark, daark house. And on that daark, daark house, were some daark, daark steps."

Her eyes grew wider as she stared into his face, unable to look away.

"And up those daark, daark steps, was a daark, daark porch. And in that daark, daark porch, was a daark, daark door. And that daark, daark door opens with a daark, daark creeeeack." Slower and deeper his voice became, his pupils widening into dark pools. "And through that daark, daark door is a daark, daark foyer. And in that daaark, daaark foyer is a daaark, daaark staircase."

Scully blinks and swallows, hardly daring to move.

"And up that daaark, daaark staircase, is a daaark, daaark hall. And down that daaark, daaark hall is a daaark, daaark room. And through its daaark, *creeeeack* door, is more daaark, daaaark space. And in that daaark, daaark space comes a daaaark, howling shrieeek!"

Scully holds her breath, hunched over with her arms wrapped around her knees, her own pupils turned to dark pools.

"And in that daaaark, daaaark room, from whence came that daaaark, howling shrieeek, was a daaaark, daaaark closet." Mulder's voice became its most deep and ominous as he rose up and loomed over her, the beam from the flashlight illuminating his twisted face from below.

She followed his movements with unblinking eyes.

"And in that daaaark...daaaark closet, was a daaaark...daaaark dresser. And in that daaaark...daaaark dresser, was a daaaark...daaaark drawer." He rose up higher over her, seemingly floating in the air. His voice became a hissing growl.

"And in that daaaark...daaaark drawer, was a daaaark...daaaark box." Mulder moved sinuously right over her, drawing closer and closer to her pale face, the closer he got to the end of his narration.

The afghan dropped off her head as she peered up at him, wisps of her coppery hair turned white in the dim light.

"And in that daaaark...daaark box," his voice now a deep, sinister whisper.

There was a tense, soundless pause. Scully waited, silent and still.

Mulder took a deep breath and slowly let it out as he spoke. "And in that daaaark...daaaark box," he began again in the same chilling whisper. "Were some socks," he said in a normal voice, drawing away from her with a shrug, his face returning to its former neutral expression.

Scully gasped, then clapped a hand on her chest in momentarily startled confusion. She suddenly burst out laughing, plopping over on the couch cushions in her mirth. "Muldeerr," she gasped, catching her breath, the afghan now spilled onto the floor and Mulder and the light bouncing up and down in the middle of the dark. "That wasn't *that* scary," she cried in complaint.

"Oh, no? You should've seen your face as I was telling it. No denying it now."

"Ok, ok," she admitted reluctantly, scowling at him. "You nearly scared me half out of my wits." She stuck her lower lip out at him. "I suppose *you're* never scared of the dark," she continued, as he still towered over her.

The lights suddenly blinked on, the computers and other equipment powering up and revealing Mulder standing, bouncing lightly on the couch. He grinned down at her and bounded off onto the floor, turned and winked at her. "Never said I wasn't."

End