A couple of authors notes before we start

Yes, CC, 1013 productions and Fox own the characters, however they've never written them like this.

Although this DOESN'T contain sexually explicit material, I'm rating it M for safety. In my mind there's enough suggestion to rate it at least T.

It could happen any time in the series, almost. My challenge to myself, not a spoiler between beginning and end. I know, it makes a nice change.

Oh, just pretend the show started on the 7th March 2002 when Scully walked into the basement for the first time (well there goes the note above), that is fast forward ten years to allow for the technology I needed to make this story possible. No more clues, you'll just have to read the story.

This, for me, is a change of pace, being pure fluff and fun. OMG not a baddy in sight!

I know it's been done before. I'm putting my seal on this situation just because I can.

'Good morning, Scully,' Mulder cheerfully greeted his partner. Ten hours earlier he'd left her in front of her apartment building after returning from three seemingly connected cases which turned out to have nothing in common. Paper work would take up the next week, trapping them in basement office.

'It's morning, Mulder,' she returned. The look on her face suggesting this would be anything but a good day.

'Something wrong,' he enquired, pulling off his trench and hanging it by the door. The suit jacket descended from his shoulder as Mulder strode to his desk. Placing in on the back of his seat, he looked in askance at Scully, lounging lazily on his chair. His hand caught his tie, losing it and the top two buttons on his shirt. He'd expected his partner to be hard at work on expense reports and case logs by now.

'You could say that,' quirking an eyebrow, she handed over a medium sized manila envelope. Scully's gaze tracked his every movement. 'This just happened to be on your desk when I came in this morning, address to the both of us. I decided to take a look and found something I think you'll enjoy.'

'What's in it,' intrigued he pulled three photos out of the packet. Jaw dropping, Mulder brought the printed paper closer to his eyes to ensure he'd seen what he thought he saw. After several seconds of complete silence, he managed in a strangled, ironic tone, 'any idea when these might've been taken?'

'Well,' Scully humoured him, now over the initial shock. To begin with she'd wanted to kill something realising what this discovery could mean. 'I've considered it and am no closer to an answer than an half an hour ago.' Shrugging, she managed to hide her feelings, until Mulder looked into her eyes.

'Did you come up with any ideas,' he turned the picture in his hand ninety degrees to see if it made the slightest difference. It didn't. Doing the same to the others, no special meaning jumped out at him. Turning the paper over, Mulder looked at the other side. Still nothing, nor did the covering give him an indication of who'd sent it or why.

'Has to be one of your secret admirers, Spooky,' Scully teased watching his mind come to the same conclusions as hers. The use of his hated nick name earned her the narrow, harrowing gaze she sought. 'Far as I can tell, they must be a composite, photo shopped. Although I'm unsure where they sourced the original material.'

'They're good,' Mulder's attention returned to the photos. 'I know we've been the object of speculation since the day you started in this office, but this goes beyond envy and petty jealousy.'

'Boarders on obsessive, I agree,' Scully took a print out of Mulder's grasp to take yet another look.

Scrutinising it for the hundredth time, Scully smiled enigmatically. If the image in this frame were true, she and Mulder would be out of a job faster than Morley Man could clean up one of her partner's supposed UFO crash sites. The image tickled Scully's fancy, drawing a belly laugh and an evil look from Mulder. While her eyes apologised because they both knew this, most defiantly, couldn't be construed in a positive light, no matter how you looked at it.

Returning her attention to the photograph, Scully shook her head. Her back flat against the office door, Scully's clothing appeared to be in disarray. Not that you could see much as Mulder's bulk obscured most of her petite frame. Dressed much the same as the present moment in time, Mulder's lips burnt a pathway down her neck while keeping her body trapped against the door. Under different circumstances, Scully would think it aesthetically pleasing.

'I like this one the best,' Mulder broke into her introspection, handing her another picture.

Taken in the living room of his apartment, Scully stood in the doorway to the entry cum dining area. Mulder's hand on her left hip, no personal space between them, the photographer captured the image from the waist up. Expression on their features so intense, almost passionate, it looked as though Mulder would lean in for a kiss from his long-time lover after a powerful argument.

'I don't know,' Scully pointed to the final frame, 'this one gets my vote as the least likely on several fronts.'

The pair lay on the blue and white striped couch in her lounge room, cavorting and naked. Mulder's Navajo patterned blanket covering the socially unacceptable areas of their bodies. Looking almost posed in its perfection, making the scene seem tasteful in what could only be considered the afterglow.

'Now that one I can see happening,' Mulder grinned, pointing out his fish tank in the back of the frame, 'you and me shacking up together, Scully. Who'd believe that Mrs Spooky.'

'In your dreams, Mulder,' Scully allowed her eyebrow to reach the roof.

'I don't know,' he'd been about to say more, to continue teasing her when the phone on the desk shrilled, demanding attention. Whishing he could ignore the instrument, Scully scooped the receiver off its base and handed the offending article to her partner. 'Mulder,' he answered in a professional tone. His gaze stating he had a lot more to say.

'Um, Agent Mulder,' Xavier, the security guard at the front desk stammered in a flustered tone, 'can you and Agent Scully come up here please. You have visitors.'

'Give us a few minutes,' Mulder considered the request, wondering who'd want to see them and if it anything to do with the photos in his hand. Deciding the only way to find out would be to go and see, he added, 'we're in the middle of something. We'll be up soon.'

'Make it fast will you,' Xavier sounded harassed.

Shrugging, Mulder grabbed for his tie and coat before signalling for Scully to follow him out of the office. He didn't attempt to make himself presentable. The amusement at the situation and the evidence Scully pocketed before they left their basement office, clearly displayed in his eyes. One look at his face and she knew exactly where his thoughts had strayed.

They're better than my usual reading, uh, watching, uh looking at material, Mulder couldn't hide his grin now the initial shock had worn off, and more attractively arranged especially give the subject matter.

Neither wanted these photos in general circulation. Unspoken, they agreed to find a place to store them until they could discreetly investigate the origin. Mulder wouldn't consider taking this to The Gunmen, he'd never live it down.

They'd made it to the first floor, Mulder not bothering with his buttons for the moment. The elevator doors opened to the internal courier waiting to board. Before either agent could move past the man, he gave them a decidedly weird grin, shoving a flat brown package into a dishevelled looking Mulder's hand.

'Enjoy the contents,' he taunted, disappearing behind closed metal doors.

'Mulder,' Scully warned, placing a hand on his sleeve, 'I get the feeling people already know about these compromising pictures and everyone is watching for our reaction.'

Leaning in to whisper into her ear, Mulder mocked, 'because they are.' In the few seconds the lift door remained open on the main entry floor, he'd noticed the increased level of interest in the basement dwellers. 'I feel like the world's suddenly taken a great interest in us, Scully, and I think it might have something to do with the contents of this.' Mulder waved the package in the air.

'If it bears even a slight resemblance to the present left on your desk, let's wait until we're back in our office to open it,' Scully suggested.

Agreeing, Mulder placed a hand in the middle of her back. 'Shall we find out,' he asked, making the decision by pushing the basement button. Both felt relieved to be the only occupants of the elevator.

Shock greeted the agents when they pulled out three more pictures. Continuing from the office door scene, Scully's shirt now complete unbuttoned, her skirt hiked up above her waist while Mulder's pants loitered around his ankles told a story in a single frame. It didn't show much skin, but the expression on her face told a thousand words.

'Hey, I don't remember that,' he teased, attempting to negate Scully embarrassment and his own with sarcastic humour. It earned him The Look, proving his partner didn't blame him for this fiasco but she'd kill the person responsible when they found them.

'Really,' Scully allowed her anger to calm her. 'Nor that one, I suppose?' she asked, handing him the second photo.

This time they lay fully clothed on top of a bed in what looked like any of the hundreds of motel rooms they stayed in across the country. However the position of Mulder's hands, one inside her pyjama pants, the other sneaking up her top gave the otherwise innocent picture a suggestive tone. The final scene took place in a forest. Mulder lay on the ground with a sleeping bag just covering his groin. Skin above and below his pelvis on full display, Scully lay at Mulder's side. Lying face down, half on top of him, an equally naked Scully, her bottom covered tastefully, had her head nestled on his shoulder. Both looked to be contented and asleep.

'If it weren't so embarrassing,' Scully stated, investigating the packaging, then the back of each photo for any clues, 'I'd take these straight to the lab.'

'I don't think the content would be appreciated,' Mulder smirked, enjoying his partner's mortification. I don't want it to be, by anyone but me, he added silently realising he enjoyed the foray into the unexplained and frankly impossible territory.

With the level of Scully professionalism legendary throughout the FBI, people should be laughing at the obvious joke. Of all the female agents to choose, Scully would be the last person alive on this earth to get involved with her work partner. If, on the other hand, he were just a colleague, Mulder knew it might be a different story.

Before either could contemplate their next move, the phone on the desk shrilled at the same time as Mulder's cell vibrated in his pocket with the theme to Star Trek. 'Skinner,' he told Scully, flipping open the cell to answer the call, responding with 'Mulder.'

'My office now, or I'll be coming down to the basement,' Skinner barked down the line before hanging up.

Scully stoped the desk phone from ringing at the same time.

'Agent Mulder, I kind of need you up here now,' Xavier sounded harassed.

'I'm sorry,' Scully replied. One look at Mulder's face and she knew they needed to be elsewhere, 'We've been called into a meeting.'

'Well it had better be with the Director of the FBI,' Xavier's distress became drowned out by several voices in the background. Listening intently, Scully couldn't distinguish a voice or a particular conversation in the babble. It sounded as though the security guard had been surrounded by a mob.

Waiting for a break in the noise level, Scully finally managed to get out, 'something like that,' before replacing the receiver. 'Let's go, Mulder. I have a bad feeling this is all going to slide into place soon and neither of us will like the outcome.'

Taking the time to re-button his shirt, Mulder watched his partner closely. Scully helped by fixing Mulder's tie into place quickly and efficiently. He just shrugged into his coat, when the office door burst open. They'd locked it as a precaution before opening the package. Now a very angry Skinner stood, jaw working to keep his cool exterior as he looked down at the broken latch.

'Any reason this door's locked,' he asked, the tone deadly.

'Yes, Sir,' Scully recovered first, her hands dropping away from ensuring Mulder's tie sat correctly. Seeing the mischievous twinkle in her partner's orbs, she reached out a hand, asking him to let her deal with this before he got them into more trouble.

Skinner didn't miss the contact. He seemed to be looking for something as his eyes darted between the partners. Confused, he obviously didn't find the object of his scrutiny. 'I'm waiting,' he ground out, hands secured on hips.

'This morning, an anonymous envelope appeared on Mulder's desk,' Scully started, watching her superior's body language carefully. Skinner had never been easy to read. Scully found honesty worked best with their boss. 'It contained some very interesting information we'd like to follow up. However before starting our enquiries, another package arrived in the internal post with a similar content. I have to say, we're at a complete loss, unsure how to proceed with the investigation.'

'Would the material have anything to do with your personal relationship,' Skinner asked, deadly serious, to which Mulder snorted.

Telling him to shut up with a look, Scully answered, 'let me assure you, apart from rumours, Agent Mulder and I are not personally involved nor have we ever been.' It became Skinner's turn to quirk an eyebrow heavenward. 'However, we received six photos we believe have been photo shopped of us in rather compromising positions.'

'May I see them,' Skinner asked.

'I'd rather you didn't, Sir,' Scully tried, desperately to hide her embarrassment. With pale Irish skin, it became impossible, 'I'd like to keep them as private as possible, and they're rather explicit.'

'Perhaps you'd both like to take a look at these, then,' Skinner handed over two new pictures.

Scully gasped, causing Mulder to place his hand supportively at the base of her spine. Ironically in much the same pose at the couple in the photograph. Only both Mulder and Scully stood outside a large, two story suburban home waving goodbye. In the early evening light, the final rays from the sun caught the wedding bands on their left hands. Shockingly, Scully had a bundle in her arms, suggesting an infant.

The next photo, another happy family portrait, took place in Scully bedroom. Holding a newborn between them, Scully leant over the swaddled child to kiss Mulder on the lips. Shaking slightly at the pictures, Scully looked up into Mulder's startled eyes.

'Sir,' Scully attempted, lost for words.

'Take a look on the back,' Skinner suggested as the office phone shrilled once again. He moved passed the stunned agents to answer the call. 'Assistant Director Skinner.'

'Oh, I'm looking for Agent Mulder,' Xavier said in a small voice.

'Why,' Skinner asked, taking off his glasses and rubbing his forearm across the bridge of his nose to ward off the mounting tension. He'd already told the switch board to bar outside calls to the X-files extension and screen internal requests allowing only security access to Mulder and Scully.

'We have a situation here, Assistant Director,' Xavier informed him.

'Take whatever measures you need too,' Skinner stated tiredly, even though it'd just reached nine in the morning. Hanging up the phone, he noticed Mulder and Scully at the computer in the back office. Both wore an astounded expression as they gazed at an internet page, then each other. 'You really didn't know about this,' he stated, their reaction all the evidence he needed.

While Scully shook her head, Mulder said, 'No.'

'Well the bureau feels they can use this to advantage,' Skinner informed them. Not liking his next words, he stated evenly, 'you've generated a lot of public interest in a very short time span. We have an appointment with Janice Churchwood, the head of Media Services. She's in my office, waiting on you.'

'Why?' Scully asked, still frankly disbelieving of the internet content she'd seen. With a few clicks, not only photos, but stories, poems and blogs appeared with Mulder and herself as the central characters.

Sighing, Skinner looked Scully and Mulder in the eye, 'I'm not sure how it happened. Nobody is. So far we haven't found an internal leak.'

'While you were away on your last two week out of town investigation, the internet went viral with actual case reports about the X-files and the agents who chase them down. The public couldn't get enough. Overnight sites sprung up. It seems half the public is interested in the work, the other half in the romantic relationship they believe you're in. Either way it makes the Bureau look good and giving an amazing amount of positive press.'

'You mean,' Scully swallowed convulsively, 'this is in the news as well as all over the internet?'

'Yes, Agent Scully,' Skinner hissed.

'Why haven't we been made aware of this, Sir,' Mulder chimed in.

Well after ten pm they'd slipped in from yet another dead-end assignment in some far flung town. He remembered the crowd outside his apartment, but succeeded in avoiding them. This morning his super demanded his attention. Mulder managed to escape the man with a late for work excuse and ducking through the side entrance. He couldn't believe they'd remained oblivious to the attention.

Spelling it out, Skinner said, 'there are about a hundred reporters in the lobby demanding a glimpse of the most famous FBI agents this century. They are also camped outside your apartment buildings.'

'Hey, Scully,' Mulder turned to sarcasm, as he usually did in times like this, 'at least the words getting out.'

Going to the computer, Skinner pulled up the front page of a local well known and well respected newspaper. Splashed across the front page, the title "We Are Not Alone" with a picture of Mulder and Scully, taken as they returned to Washington sometime in the last month. His hand, as always when he escorted her anywhere, in the middle of her back. The by-line reading, I want to believe….Married or not they could be America's next sweethearts.

'Oh god,' Scully stated, slumping into the nearest chair, 'my mother would have read that.'