Dana Scully had always had a level head on her shoulders - that's what her father used to say.

While both her mom and dad had worried about all of their children to differing degrees Dana had been the one they worried about the least.

She had excellent grades in school, and kept on track into college and med school…there had been some hiccups with men on the way, but she always kept her head and ultimately walked away relatively unscathed.

However, unscathed was part of the problem. While holding back and not risking your heart can protect it from being broken, always choosing safety over passion had led her…

Right to this moment. Standing outside a warehouse at 2 am on a cold Chicago morning praying to her God and willing to bargain anything in order to save her partner's life.

Scully looked over at two local officers and growled out quietly, "What's happening in there?"

The younger of the two naïvely shrugged and Scully saw red. "That's my partner in there...if you expect me to stand here waiting for more information it better be forthcoming or I swear to God…!"

"Agent Scully!"

Scully stopped short when she recognised the voice of her boss, but then simply spun around and faced him down instead. "If you're here to tell me that I need to back down, or that these guys can deal with this situation, you can back the hell off!" She spat at Skinner.

Skinner raised his eyebrows in the face of Scully's anger and held up his hands defensively. "I came up here when I heard Agent Mulder had been taken. Do we have an update, Agent?"

Scully hissed out a short breath and then tightly barked out the facts, "Agent Mulder was taken while covering the back exit of the warehouse a little over 3 hours ago. We have heard nothing from inside…apart from 4 gunshots. The front and rear are under armed guard. Nothing from the cameras…nothing!"

"Nothing from his captors?" Skinner asked.

Scully bit her lip with frustration and then snapped, "Sir, what part of 'nothing' did you not understand?!"

Dana Scully was smart, she was controlled, she was level-headed, and she was methodical…in all areas of her life excluding her partner.

"Agent Scully, I know this is frustrating…but…" Skinner's patience was starting to come under strain.

"Frustrating?! This is beyond frustrating…he could be dead in there! I have no idea what is happening and waiting is achieving nothing!" Scully paced angrily near the doorway and then flicked up some blinds to look out of the window at the rear door.

"Agent, they might see you!" The officer in charge warned.

Scully growled under her breath and turned to Skinner. "Now. We need to do something now. I'll go in alone."

"Agent, that could be a suicide mission…" He paused and unable to think of a more tactful way of completing his point Skinner sighed and said sadly, "If Agent Mulder is already dead…"

During their first case together Scully had defied logic and place her trust in Mulder from day one.

Throughout their partnership, she had faced down abduction, cancer, and the loss of her own fertility…she had almost been eaten by cannibals, drugged by a cult, lobotomized by a lunatic and murdered by a one night stand…

However, after all things were said and done, Scully was never in more danger than when Mulder's life was at risk…because when that happened she stopped thinking and started reacting. In those terrifying moments, the level-headed woman her father knew was overridden by blind panic.

"If Mulder is already dead I may as well go in any way…" Scully snapped and then after realising what she had admitted she exhaled slowly and spoke with resignation to her friend. "You can put me on report, suspend me, take my badge…I really don't care. Surely you understand that nothing matters more to me."

Skinner looked at her hopelessly and then over at the two officers near the door. "What's the plan?"

"Wait?" The nearest one said, not sounding sure.

"Is that a question?" Scully seethed. "Enough. We take out the guys on the door and I'm going in."

"Agent Scully…Dana…" Skinner tried to reason.

"Don't 'Dana' me, you're here now – make the call! You know he'd do the same for you! This Is Mulder's life we're talking about!" Scully walked up and looked him steely in the eyes.

"Agent Mulder would not put you in danger," Skinner reasoned.

She scowled.

Skinner took a few seconds, let out a shallow breath and then nodded. "Let me talk to the officer in charge, we're taking those guys out and going in."

"We're waiting until…" The senior officer started to object.

"That is my agent in there, so this is my call," Skinner said with complete authority.

"I'm going in alone," Scully stated.

"You need back up," Skinner maintained.

"If we take them out quickly and quietly I may be able to enter without alerting anyone inside. I don't trust anyone else to put Mulder's life first on this and I need to know you're out here to ensure these guys don't get trigger happy and wade in," Scully insisted.

"Dana…" Skinner considered reasoning with her but then looked into her eyes and realised it would be hopeless.


Two quiet pops were Scully's only signal that it was time to move. She checked her gun for the second time, scanned the area and then ran towards the back entrance of the building.

"Stay quiet and stay low…" She hears Skinner whispering needlessly in her ear.

She pulled open the door a little and looked inside, two men in the far corner…with the two posted on the front entrance, she calculated that that left one unaccounted for.

Scully held her breath when she suddenly saw a human form hunched over in the corner behind the two men. It was dark and from a seated position the person would be near impossible to identify for anyone else, but she knows in less than a second that that is Mulder.

He's alive.

Staying quiet and not moving Scully looked to the right of the door and noticed a slim figure about 10 metres to her left.

She waited until he walked in front of a beam of light and then gasped silently and remembered a conversation from the evening before…


Mulder sat leaning against the headboard; apparently disorganised pictures and papers surrounded him.

Scully, who had not long arrived back from an autopsy of the group's latest victim, sat on a chair next to the bed and picked unenthusiastically at a box of lukewarm noodles while Mulder rattled on.

"So that's six of them in total, plus Drake makes seven. The driver, a tech guy…these two are old high school buddies," Mulder pushed two mug shots towards Scully and she picked them up and scanned them, " and these two he met during his last stint in lockup…" another two mug shots were pushed towards Scully and she gazed at them sleepily and nodded.

Mulder reached at picked up a slightly different picture and waved it at Scully excitedly, "But this one…I think this is the key."

Scully looked at the picture Mulder held in the air and shook her head in confusion.

"I was digging through some records while you were in the morgue. This kid is nineteen years old, no record, no ties to illegal activity until recently, apart from a couple of speeding tickets…" Mulder explained.

"So what's the link to Drake?" Scully asked, reaching for the high school picture and looking at it carefully.

"Their mother," Mulder said with a smile.

"He's Drake's brother?" Scully asked, clearly surprised.

"His mother had Drake when she was 15, she was drinking and partying pretty heavily back then. After a while, he was taken away, passed through various kids homes…" Mulder explained.

"And the younger kid?" Scully asked, holding up his picture.

"By all accounts, the mother straighten her life out, married again and had three more kids…Andrew Morgan is the youngest. The mother was killed, along with Andrew's father, in a car accident four years ago – after which the kid decided to trace down his eldest brother."

"They're close?" Scully asked.

"He let him in on his team, Drake wouldn't do that unless he trusted him completely…he takes family seriously…" Mulder took the picture back from Scully and looked at the young man, "…not uncommon when his own childhood was so fractured."

Scully nodded empathetically at Mulder, "So do we have to be careful on this one? Is the kid pretty innocent?"

Mulder shook his head, "Maybe up until a couple of years ago, but this kid is all in…he held an eight-year-old girl with a gun for three hours at their last job…and it seems as though he might have been the gunman in the Dracut County shooting."

Sighing sadly Scully put her food to one side and moved to sit on the bed, she picked up the picture and scanned it again. "So…?"

"I'm not sure…but their ages, their history, the timings…if I had to make an initial assessment I think what we might be looking at here is Drake's Achilles' Heal," Mulder explained and then smiled at Scully.


Scully considered Mulder's words carefully as she watched Andrew Morgan walk within three feet of the door. What she needed more than anything right now was leverage…and if Mulder was right…

It was a gamble.

Drake had shown himself to be a brutal, cold-blooded killer. He and his gang of goons had been responsible for at least 13 murders in 5 states over the last year alone.

If Mulder was wrong there would be nothing to stop Drake taking out both of them, with little care for the brother that he didn't even know until a few years ago.

Andrew Morgan had received the home and upbringing that Drake could only have dreamed off.

She watched Andrew walking back towards her and gripped her gun a little tighter. If there was one thing history had taught Scully, it was to trust her partner's instincts.


Drake was talking to his henchman when he heard a noise and turned to see Scully walking slowly towards him. She held Andrew Morgan securely in front of her, blood ran slowly from his hairline and she pushed a gun firmly into his temple.

"Everyone needs to stay calm…" Scully directed clearly and loudly. She noticed a flicker of panic on Drake's face and silently thanked her partner.

Drake first looked into his brother's eyes and then glanced back at the FBI agent bound and gagged on the floor near his feet. He took in the male agent's wide-eyed panic and then glared at his brother's captor.

"Who the fuck are you?" Drake barked.

"Special Agent Dana Scully," she replied coldly, "...but I can't say that it's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance."

"FBI? So I assume you want this?" Drake crowed and then kicked Mulder solidly in the ribs.

Scully gripped Andrew tighter and he yelped a little when the barrel of her gun dug into his temple."You hurt him again…" She growled.

"You'll what?" Drake smirked. "You'll shoot a nineteen-year-old kid in the head? You law keeping types don't have the balls!" He teased and stepped a little to the side to glance down Scully's body. "Pretty little thing though ain't yah? Maybe we'll keep you a while and get rid of the dead weight…you seem more…travel size…and you certainly look more fun."

Mulder grunted behind his gag and pulled on his tight bounds.

"Oh, FBI doesn't like that!" Drake laughed, his eyes drifted to his brother. "You look pretty close kid…I bet she's nice and firm, ain't she?"

Andrew started to laugh but then Scully pulled back her gun and whacked him hard across his head.

"You fuckin' bitch!" Drake roared and started to move forward.

Scully held the gun back to Andrew's temple and shook her head.

Drake quickly stepped back, grabbed Mulder off the floor and put the barrel of his gun up under his chin.

The pressure pushed his head up but Mulder still kept his eyes firmly on Scully.

"I will kill him!" Drake seethed.

"I will kill your brother…" Scully stated calmly.

"He's just a kid…" Drake repeated. Clearly not taking her threat seriously but a little taken aback that Scully knew their connection.

Scully gritted her teeth, "My partner might inform you that I've been known to fall for the occasional sob story. But you have him gagged with a gun to his throat…so right now I'm inclined to ignore my better angels!"

"Let Drew go and I'll think about letting you walk out of here…home to your family…" Drake bargained and quickly glanced over at his friend, who didn't seem to know what move to make next.

Scully's finger twitched on the trigger, "That man is my family. I'm not leaving here without him."

Drake laughed, "You're planning on taking us all down?"

"You give me my partner. We walk out of here. I let your brother go," Scully directed sharply.

"I'm looking into your eyes, agent. You won't shoot him, you ain't got it in you," Drake ridiculed.

Scully squinted, her belly turned over and her hand started to cramp and shake a little. She knew she had to prove it, that she was as invested as Drake. "I can and I will," Scully seethed with tears in her eyes, "I am in love with this man…if you think I won't gladly take down all of you, or die trying, you're fooling yourself. I have nothing else to lose."

Drake shifted on his feet and gripped Mulder a little tighter. His expression seemed to change...like he was processing the fact that he wasn't dealing with a controlled federal agent…he was dealing with a woman who would do anything, including kill his brother, to get to the man he was holding.

Mulder's legs buckled a little under him and Drake pushed the gun up harder, almost holding him on his feet with the barrel.

"How about I let your man go? And you stay here with me?" Drake smiled evilly.

Mulder's eyes widened, he looked like he was going to choke and then he coughed and gagged severely.

"For fuck's sake…" Drake growled and dropped Mulder to his knees. He yanked off the gag and watched with disgust as his captive retched and coughed at the floor.

"You leave her...the fuck...alone..." Mulder growled between coughs and gasps.

Drake laughed, "What do we have here? Romeo and fucking Juliet?"

Scully looked down at Mulder with concern.

After coughing a few more times Mulder looked up at Scully again, "Please…please, just leave…"

"I'm not going anywhere without you," Scully snapped and looked back up at Drake.

"Give me my partner," Scully directed calmly.

"Not a chance in hell!" Drake snapped and kicked Mulder again.

Scully gripped Andrew's arm and pulled it up his back, hard.

"Jesus fucking Christ!" Andrew screamed. "She broke my fucking arm!"

"It's dislocated," Scully said calmly and held her gaze on Drake.

"Bitch!" Drake yelled.

"I'm a doctor I can fix it...when you give me my partner," Scully explained flatly.

"You're a doctor?! You're fucking insane!" Andrew shouted.

Scully pulled up on his arm and he screamed in agony again, "You tell your brother that!"

Mulder looked up at her from the floor, "Scully…you know I love you too, right?"

She glanced down at him, her cold expression melting for a second and she smiled, "I do now."

"I'm so in love with you," Mulder confirmed again tearfully, but then Drake pistol-whipped him across the head.

"You fucking son of a bitch!" Scully shouted and tugged back up on Andrew's arm.

Then all hell broke loose. Andrew fell forward leaving Scully vulnerable, Drake's man took his chance and reached for his knife…when Mulder saw the glint of metal as the man moved forward he through himself awkwardly towards Scully shouting, "No!"

Startled by the sudden movement Drake shot at Scully, only to hit his own man who landed on Andrew, his knife piercing the side of the young man's neck as he fell.

Drake yelled out but as he brought his gun up to aim at Mulder's head Scully fired three times, taking out Drake.

Within seconds of the men falling Scully heard a round of bullets outside and then saw Skinner run through the front entrance with two other officers as backup.

"What's the situation?" He asked Scully as he ran towards them.

Scully shoved Andrew, and the man Drake had accidentally shot, out of the way with her foot and made a beeline for Mulder as she started to answer.

"Drake and one other guy are down in here…the young man might also need an EMT…" Scully said as she used the knife her assailant had tried to stab her with to quickly slice open the thick woven bonds that had tied Mulder at his wrists and ankles.

Mulder groaned as Scully turned over his wrists and carefully ran her fingers over the friction burns.

"You okay?" She asked breathlessly.

"Thanks to you," Mulder smiled weakly and fell forward to rest his forehead against her shoulder.

"You're ankles?" Scully asked her hand automatically coming up to comb through his hair.

"Not so bad," he murmured against her collarbone.

Scully pulled his head up and looked into his eyes. "Too close," she said bluntly and then scanned his face quickly before returning his gaze.

"Too close," Mulder agreed and then leaned forward unexpectedly and covered her mouth in a desperate kiss.

"Mulder…" Scully started to protest against his lips, but then groaned and returned his kisses.

Within seconds they heard their bosses sharp voice, "Agents, please!"

They reluctantly and awkwardly pulled back but kept their eyes locked together.

"Agent Mulder needs to be checked over," Scully observed softly, choosing to not even acknowledge what their boss had just seen.

"I'm fine," Mulder murmured quietly, his breath wafting across Scully's lips.

"You really should get a check-up…" Skinner started to argue.

"Scully can check me out," Mulder replied with a smile, not even looking up.

"I didn't mean that sort of check-up," Skinner replied gruffly.

Scully broke eye contact with her partner and looked up at Skinner. "He needs to rest, do you need us tonight?"

Skinner sighed and then rolled his eyes, "I want your statements first thing."

She glanced over at Andrew Morgan, who was already being wheeled away. "Is he going to be okay?" She asked.

Skinner shrugged, "I imagine he'll see at least a decade behind bars."

Scully nodded and then stood before reaching out and pulling Mulder to his feet.

"I'm not letting either of you drive anywhere," Skinner pointed out.

"Can an officer run us back to our motel? Or do you want us to call a cab?" Mulder asked, brushing down his pants and then rubbing the burns on his wrists.

After grumbling a little under his breath Skinner called over to the lead officer. "My guys are done for the evening, I'm giving them the night and taking their statements in the morning – can you spare one of your men to run them to their digs?"

The officer shrugged and nodded towards one of his men.

"I'm glad you're okay agents," Skinner said genuinely.

They both nodded at him and gave a small smile as they walked by.

"Thank you, sir," Scully said quietly.


Neither knew exactly what they were expecting when they got back to the motel room.

Scully opened her door and Mulder stood next to her leaning on the wall.

"Come in and I'll get you a drink…" Scully said softly and Mulder just nodded.

She suddenly found herself pushed around the corner and up against the wall. Mulder kicked the door closed and then thrust himself against her hungrily, covering her lips with a searing kiss.

She groaned loudly against his mouth and drove her fingers up into his hair as Mulder bent to grasp tightly onto her thighs and lift so Scully's legs banded around his waist.

Feeling his solid cock against her core Scully moaned loudly and dropped her head back, opening her throat for Mulder to lean in; sucking, biting and licking her quivering flesh.

"Fuuuuuuckkkk…" Mulder murmured against her skin, his tongue seeking her taste as his cock thrust mindlessly against her clit.

"Mmmmmm…" Scully agreed. "Please…"

"What do you need?" Mulder asked as her face came level and their eyes met.

"You…I need you…we can talk later…" Scully stated, already reaching to tug at the button on his trousers.

Mulder paused and looked into her eyes, his pupils blown wide, his breath ragged. "You need to be sure…" he tried with his very last inch of self-control.

Scully growled and ripped open his shirt, tiny little buttons pinging to the floor and scattering everywhere.

"Scully…" Mulder groaned and covered her lips again, his tongue plunging inside her mouth and exploring forcefully.

Scully used all of her remaining motor functions to push his shirt down his arms and then gasped into his mouth. "Floor…bed…table…"

Mulder grinned, "I love a woman who's flexible," he murmured before gripping her bottom lip between his teeth and turning to hoist Scully onto the table next to them.

"Any woman…?" Scully teased as she helped Mulder pull off her jacket and start to tug her silk shirt up and over her head.

Mulder yanked down the material of one bra cup before nipping and flicking her taut nipple with his teeth and tongue. "You…only you…all of you…" he hummed against her sensitive skin causing Scully to shudder.

She reached to quickly unfasten and then push his pants and boxers down his thighs as Mulder hiked up her skirt and pulled down her panties, knocking off her shoes as he went.

He stepped back to pull them off and then stood between her legs again.

Scully gasped when Mulder gripped her ass tightly, his fingers digging deeply between her cheeks.

The base of his cock ground firmly against her pulsing clit.

"Now, Mulder…take our time later…" Scully gasped and gripped his rock-solid dick firmly.

Mulder nodded and kissed her again, "God, I love you…" he muttered breathlessly against her lips as she lined him up with her entrance.

"If I'd lost you…" Scully shuddered tearfully as Mulder started to sheath himself inside her.

Mulder shook his head quickly, his lips brushing over her face, her eyes, her cheeks, and her temples. "You saved me…" he finally exhaled softly against her lips.

Scully met his eyes and shook her head, "So I saved both of us."

Mulder thrust hard and Scully gasped, "You own me."

Dropping her face to Mulder's shoulder Scully brought her legs up around his waist and ground up against him, "Yes…!"

Mulder ploughed hard, pumping mercilessly into her body as they both gripped onto skin and clothing as though their lives depended on it.

"Fuck…you there…?" Mulder growled near her ear and Scully's mouth opened to graze her teeth on his shoulder.

Scully nodded and gripped his hips tighter, her thighs pulling up and meeting his long hard strokes with her own short thrusts. This movement brought him in contact with her clit and she gripped his shoulder blades tightly, digging in her nails and letting out a silent scream.

"Yes…yes…yes…" Mulder growled feeling her tight core grip his cock and bring him to the edge. "Gonna cum so hard…gonna fill you…"

Feeling another orgasm hit Scully gasped in shock and then thrust her fingers into his hair. "Mine…" she gasped and bit down on his skin hard as Mulder froze inside her and came into her burning heat.

As Mulder's breathing slowly came back to normal he kissed along Scully's shoulder gently licking and tasting her glowing skin.

He pulled back a little, combing his hand through her hair and looking down at her face adoringly. "You okay?" He asked gently.

"Perfect…" Scully replied with a smile.

Mulder smiled with wonder and kissed her lips.

"So is this what you had in mind when you suggested I'd check you over?" Scully grinned.

"Did I pass your special health check?" He grinned.

Scully laughed, causing Mulder to slip out of her body and they both hissed.

"I'd say you're just fine…" She confirmed moving closer and then she shivered.

"Cold?" Mulder asked.

Scully nodded, "A little...shower and bed?" She suggested.

"Can I sleep over?" Mulder asked, not wanting to assume.

"I'm not letting you out of my sight for a while…" Scully assured him and hopped down to the floor before taking his hand and tugging him towards the bathroom.

"Hey…whoa…!" Mulder laughed and pointed down to the pants and trousers around his knees.

Scully looked down at him and grinned, "Sort yourself out, Mulder."

Mulder watched Scully walk away in wonder as she undid the clasp on her skirt and carefully stepped out of it as she walked away.

After about a minute Scully saw Mulder enter the bathroom out of the corner of her eye. He hovered by the door and she smiled and turned towards him, "Are you coming in?"

Mulder stepped forward and Scully watched him through the glass as he removed his boxers and then opened the screen and climbed inside.

"You can share all my showers from now on if you want," Scully said happily leaning back onto his chest as his arms banded around her waist.

He kissed her shoulder and his large hand came up over one of her breasts.

"What's a stunning woman like you doing with a dork like me?" He rumbled roughly against her ear and Scully felt his cock begin to revive just above her ass.

Scully smiled, turning to face him and then reaching up to kiss his mouth softly. She rolled her hips against him and ran her lips along his jaw, "Kissing him…finally…" She smiled and brought her palm up to his cheek.

"We've been so stupid…" Mulder said sadly.

"Speak for yourself," Scully teased and then reached for the motel soap. She sniffed it and shrugged before rolling it between her hands and then starting to smooth it across his warm chest.

Mulder chuckled and took the soap, he was about to use it himself when Scully suddenly moved to her knees and took his now solid cock in her mouth.

"Oh, God…Scully!" Mulder moaned, his knees buckled and he dropped the soap.

She sucked hard and then pulled back to flick her tongue smoothly along the underside of the head before plunging back down and taking him as deep as possible.

Mulder looked down and watched Scully confidently work over his cock and brought his hand to the side of her face. "Beautiful…" he croaked out breathlessly, feeling his orgasm begin to coil. He bucked a little into her mouth and then tried to force himself to stand still. "Please…want to come…inside you…" He gasped.

Scully smiled a little with her eyes. She pulled back for a second, "I want to taste you."

Mulder's legs buckled again and he thrust a little into her mouth. "Sorry…" he stuttered.

She shook her head around him and hummed.

"Oh fuck…" Mulder gasped and thrust forward. Breaking hard into her mouth and coming breathlessly down her throat.

Scully swallowed eagerly, licked him clean and then stood as Mulder fell back against the shower wall.

"Jesus…" Mulder laughed a little in wonder, his hands moving up to hold her hips. "I already loved you more than I would have dreamed it was possible to love anyone…" He kissed her lazily. "But I must have done something wonderful in a past life…because you're a sex goddess...and you actually want me!"

Scully laughed sleepily, "Bed?"

"Mmmmmm…" He hummed. "Do you want?" His hand slid down to her core and then over her clit but Scully kissed him and stepped back.

"Rain check?" Scully smiled. "I'd really like to just sleep in your arms."

Mulder nodded.

They stepped out of the shower carefully and dried each other before slipping into bed. Scully lay against Mulder's side, resting her head on his shoulder and bringing her leg to curl up over his.

She kissed the warm skin over Mulder's heart and ran her hand gently over his ribs.

"Does it hurt?" She asked thinking back to the fierce kicks she had witnessed in the warehouse.

Mulder shook his head, "I'm a man in love - I feel no pain."

Scully smiled, "It might hurt by morning…"

He leaned to kiss her temple and then ran his fingertips over her hip. "Will you kiss me better?"

"Always," she replied happily and closed her eyes.

"Then I'll be more than fine," Mulder assured and was soon fast asleep.

THE END