Scully watched the swat team that had hastily been assembled follow Mulder with their eyes as he paced the confined area in the bullpen.    He had removed his suit jacket before the meeting and the blue/grey shirt he wore with the plain navy tie only emphasised the muscles in his body as he stretched to point out locations on the map, the thin material pulling across his broad shoulders.  His voice was low but commanding as he gave out points and orders to the different teams and she sat back and listened to him.

"Okay we all know what we're up against.  Dawson is armed, considered dangerous but let's not get into a gunfight.  We want him alive and able to spend a long time in jail."

            He let his words sink in with a measured silence and even took a step closer to the teams.

"Agent Williams is taking site charge so it's up to you now," he continued stepping aside and taking a seat by Scully as Williams stood up to the front and started barking out orders and positions.  Soon afterwards the teams broke up leaving Mulder and Scully alone in the bullpen to gather their notes.

"So where are we going?" she asked as she passed him his jacket.

"I have a list of haunts that James Banner likes to frequent."

"How long a list?"

"Eight places.  We need to get this statement before the court will let us charge Dawson."

"Do you want to split up?" she asked as they walked over to the elevator.

"Aww Scully I love working with you, but if you cant handle the pace…" he replied, pushing the button for the car park before he looked over to see her half scorn. "Okay, you take the list," he said passing it to her.

"I'll start at the top."

"Call me when you get him.  The sooner we can get his statement the sooner we can guarantee his arrest."

"Alright Mulder, happy hunting," she called as she veered to the left to go to her car.

"Hey Scully!" he shouted after her making her turn. "Dinner says I find him before you do!"  She just smiled and turned back to her car laughing a little as she pulled out into the street.

***

Mulder pushed past the heavy doors and sidestepped the large man that stood guarding them.  He blinked a few times to allow his eyes to adjust to the dim lighting, a stark contrast to the evening's dying sun he'd left outside.  With a loose smile he walked further into the bar his eyes scanning the crowd for her familiar red hair.  The room was smoky and stank of whiskey, just the kind of place he could loose himself in, he mused.  He could almost see himself perched on the high stool at the corner of the bar with the worn leather seat covering, allowing the night pass in a haze thanks to the powers of Johnny Walker.  But not tonight.  It had been over an hour since the confusing call from Scully telling him she found Banner but she didn't get a chance to say where before her phone got cut off.  This was the last place on the list so he hoped she was still here.

Standing at the end of the bar he glanced around the larger more open area and finally spotted her next to the dartboard.  She sat with her back to him and he took a moment to glance over her slim figure as the light blue tee-shirt she wore hugged her body and strayed maybe an inch or two over the waist line of her trousers giving him a delicious glimpse of the small of her back with it's tempting hollow that begged to be…

Shaking himself from his own reverie he walked over to her, reaching out and touching her shoulder, giving it the lightest squeeze.

"Scully," he said softly and it took a moment for her to react.  But slowly, as if a thread was pulling it she turned her head around and found herself looking at his belt buckle.  Languidly her eyes made a shaky journey up his torso, lingering for a moment on his lips before meeting his clear hazel eyes.

"Mulder Hi!" she said like she only recognised him by his eyes.

"Did you find him?" he asked lowering himself onto a small stool next to her.

"Yes, he was here…is here," she corrected herself as she let her head swing around to the jukebox where Mulder spotted James Banner leaning heavily on the machine, barely able to stand.

"Did he talk?"

"Talk Mulder? Talk?" she said in astonishment, twisting her head back around to him and he started to notice how much her speech was slurred.  Looking down to the table in front of them he spied the collection of empty shot glasses and smiled.  "He wouldn't talk until I had a drink with him," she said indignantly.

"A drink?"

"A whiskey," she corrected.

            Mulder stopped his smile from spreading further and had to reach up to his mouth to cover his lips, disguising the gesture by scratching his chin.  But suddenly Banner found his footing and clambered over to them, carrying a fresh bottle of Whisky and two clean glasses.  Ignoring Mulders presence he clanked the glasses onto the table and unscrewed the lid off the bottle.

"Now Dana," he began, "Time for the good stuff…no more skimping."  He poured out two large shots and handed one out to her with a shaky hand, which she took without hesitation.

"To rules that beg to be broken," he said as he swallowed the light brown liquid in one easy gulp.

            Mulder felt his jaw open at the sight of his usually reserved partner pouring a generous portion of whisky into her mouth and swallow it with only the smallest grimace.

"And to us," Banner continued as he poured them each another helping.  "For daring to break them."

            Again he swallowed his share and slammed the glass onto the table just as the music blared form the jukebox, shattering whatever serenity the bar held.  Mulder watched fascinated as Scully took a deep breath before gulping down her drink and slamming her glass down beside the others.

"Maybe we should get out of here," Mulder suggested tentatively and he watched in awe as her head swung round to meet his, swaying lightly on her shoulders as she tried to concentrate on his face.

"Mulder this investigation will not and cannot end until that man's statement has been recorded for the record…" she said surprising him with the length of her sentence as she threw her thumb over her shoulder where Mulder could see Banner gyrating badly to the loud music. But before he could tear his eyes away a movement caught his attention and he looked back to Scully only to see her head had fallen onto her folded arms among the empty glasses.

            The bad music seemed to suddenly get louder and Mulder stood to approach Banner, fishing a card out of his pocket.  He watched at he lifted the bottle of whiskey up to his lips and tasted the sour liquid, spilling it down his cheeks and onto his shirt.

"Mr Banner…Mr Banner," Mulder yelled trying to be heard over the music but gave up when he got no reaction.  "We'll be in touch," he said going back to Scully and leaving his business card on the table.

"Come on Scully," he said shaking her softly and sighing as she slowly sat up with a deep moan.  He lifted one of her arms over his shoulder and half carried; half walked her back to his car.

            She slumped into the front seat and let her eyes close over immediately letting her heavy lids lock her into a cocoon of restless slumber.  The short journey back to her apartment flew by her blissfully and she barely noticed when Mulder walked her in through the door.

"Come on Scully, you gotta help me a little here," he argued as he struggled to hold her up and close the door behind them.  But her only response was to groan a little and lean in closer to him.  He couldn't help but chuckle at the image of them staggering through her apartment as he pushed open her bedroom door and lay her down onto the soft bed.

            He stood away from her to close the blinds and turned back to see her sitting up on the edge of the bed.  He came round to her side of the bed and bent down to pull off the shoes she was trying to kick away from her feet.  But she didn't stop there as if some part of her brain had started her nightly routine and she stood to undo the strap at the waist of her linen trousers.  He steadied her with one hand and looked away as she let the flimsy material fall to the floor by her feet before sitting back onto the bed.

"Lie down Scully," he urged putting a little pressure onto her shoulders but she fought him with a low moan and reached down to peel off her top.

"Okay so you wanna get comfy," he murmured, looking at her ears, her hair, the ceiling.  Anywhere but the place he wanted to look the most.  Just as he thought he could fight it no more she gave into his push and leaned back on to the bed, sighing into the cool sheets.

            Mulder quickly covered her with the light duvet and fetched a glass of water from the kitchen and two Alka-Seltzer from the bathroom where he knew she kept them.  He left them by her bedside and looked down at her for a moment, smiling at her partially open mouth and tousled hair.

"Good night Scully," he said softly touching her cheek with the tips of his fingers and letting them brush along her jaw line before he left her apartment quietly.

** Dammit why did I have to start a new one? I thought I might get the weekend off but the stories in my head had other plans.  Stole the bar scene from a trek movie, added a few MSR points eh voila!!! So this story will probably be full of fluff with little or no casework so sorry if you don't like that stuff.  And GREAT if you do.  **