TITLE: Night Before The Tropics
AUTHOR: Skye Wolf
DATE: 7/6/2000
RATING: PG-13 for a very little bit of language
CATEGORY: MSR, Scully 1st person POV
SPOILERS: None contained within the text
FEEDBACK: Skye Wolf1049@aol.com Gimme gimme!
SUMMARY: Mulder is forced to go on three week tropical vacation, he and Scully spend the night before together.
DISCLAIMER: These things are thrilling.I always wanted to write one. Well first of all, Mulder & Scully are not mine (but I'll cut a deal with anyone for DD!) They belong to 1013, the Great Chris Carter, David Duchovny & Gillian Anderson.
But the story is mine, so you can't have it unless you give me Mulder! ::crazed laughing::



*SLAM!* The door banged angrily as Mulder threw the door shut behind him as he stormed into their office.
"Mulder, what's wrong?" I asked him worriedly. "Did Skinner bawl you out? Or are they making you take a vacation?" I ask slyly, knowing that Mulder hasn't taken a vacation in years.
He looked stonily over at me, sitting at my desk. "Yes," he replied testily, "And the thing is, Skinner ALSO handed me this case file to give to you. He told me to leave now and for you to work this case, and it looks dangerous. I don't want you going Scully," he said, his expression softening.
"Oh Mulder, I'll be fine, and if I do need you, you're only a phone call away, right?"
"Well, the thing is," he said, looking down sheepishly, "Is that the Bureau is also sending me away to some tropical resort in the Bahamas to make sure I don't come back."
I got up and walked over to where he was perched on the chair behind his desk.
"They would have to take that precaution with you, wouldn't they?" I said, affectionately ruffling his hair, a gesture I made without thinking, and I stiffened up, and pulled away, hoping he wouldn't realize what I'd done. He gazed up at me, from his position at his desk, with his beautiful hazel eyes, and he laid his hand upon my arm.
"Scully," he said, never breaking my gaze, "Go out with me tonight, before I leave for three weeks, and we'll make it special."
My breath caught in my throat, and I wondered what he meant by special, and as I was contemplating, some other part of me said, "Yes... yes." I didn't know what was happening, until I broke out of my trance by him leaning closely over me and giving me a light hug.
"Great, I'll pick you up at 6:30, sharp?" he whispered into my ear, and then disappearing, like an apparition, out of the room.

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"Knock knock," Mulder's voice came from outside my front door.
"It's open, come on in!" I shouted, trying to put an earring in and a shoe on at the same time.
"Hey Scully," he said, appearing in my bedroom door, where I was hopping around, trying to get my shoe on. "You ready?"
"Not quite...," I said, looking up at him and smiling. "Okay, there, where we going?" I asked, picking up my purse and throwing the strap around my shoulder.
"Out on the town Scully! We're going out on the town!" Mulder replied enthusiastically.

Little did I know, he meant exactly that.

We got in his car and drove to a small Italian diner that I go to sometimes, when I'm lonely and in the mood for Italian. We entered in the front door, got escorted to our seats, and sat down at the small, almost-too-intimate table, and the waitress nodded towards Mulder and gave me a wink and smile.
"You ever been here Scully?" Mulder asked, interrupting my scattered thoughts.
"Ud-uh, yes, I have once or twice," I quickly replied, not wanting to give away the fact that I came here when I get depressed and lonely, because, looking around, anyone can tell that this place is a couples-or-loners only place, and I certainly haven't been part of a couple in far too long. "Nice little place," he said, looking thoughtfully at me, then back out the window which we were seated beside.
"Scully?" Mulder said, and I looked back at him, his intense eyes staring into mine.
"Yes Mulder?"
"Would you like to dance?" he asked, nodding towards the small dance corner with an Italian quartet playing softly nearby.
"I'd love to Mulder," I replied somewhat breathlessly.

Mulder took me into his arms and I wrapped mine around his waist, since his neck was too far up for me to reach to dance comfortably. We started to sway to the slow music, and I rested my head against his chest, and his head on top of mine.

Idle thoughts like these drifted through my mind, and suddenly I felt his head move from it's resting spot on mine, and I looked up to see what he was doing, and the split second that our eyes locked, he lowered his head towards mine, and our lips met.
After a moment and an adrenaline rush, we pulled away, and I looked deep into his eyes, and kissed him back, saying without words that this was okay, that I was fine, he was fine, the whole world was at peace. At least, MY world was.

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The dinner was nothing compared to that amazing moment, and it passed nicely, and daylight was close to fading in the distance.
"Would you like to continue our night out on the town Scully?" Mulder asked, after we were done eating.
"Sure Mulder, where to next?" I replied as we strolled to the car.
"I was thinking the park, is that okay with you?" he said, as he started up the car, and started pulling out of the parking lot.
"That's fine with me," I said, with visions of sunset walks, hand-in-hand dancing through my head, like the sugarplums on Christmas Eve.
We pulled into the park, and got out of the car. I took a deep breath of the fresh air around me. "I love this place," I said, as we stepped onto the walking path.
"Me too," he said, slipping his arm around my waist. I smiled up at him and did the same to him.
We walked a bit further into a grove of trees, and Mulder pulled back an enormous branch, and revealed a stunning view of a waterfall, with a large flat rock in front of the gorge of the waterfall. There were trees and colorful flowers everywhere.
"This is so beautiful Mulder, do you come here often?" I asked, still in shock at the beauty of it all, and sat down on the rock beside him.
"I come here to write sometimes," he said, taking my hand and looking out at the falls.
"What do you write?" I whispered, as if fearing that speaking too loudly would cause it to all go away, as if it were a dream.
"Different things, but mostly just daily events, things that happen and all," he said, looking down, and then back at me.
He leaned in towards me and kissed my cheek softly. I studied his eyes, which were studying mine at the same time, and our lips met for a second time that night, except this time it was longer and better, with the privacy of the forest concealing our need to express our passion, that had built up for so long. We kissed again and again, each time getting a little closer, since it was getting colder, he wrapped his arms around me, and we sat on that big rock, huddling closely together against the June night chiils.
"You want to go back to your place so you can get on a sweater?" he asked me, nuzzling his cheek against mine.
"Yes, please," I replied with a slight shiver. Mulder got up off the rock and held his hands out towards me, and pulled me up off the rock, and in a single swift motion, he picked me up, and held me close, with my arms around his neck, he kept me warm and set me in the car, and turned the heater on low. "That better?" he asked.
"Very," I replied, not really believing what was happening.

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We arrived at my apartment, and walked up the stairs as silently as the car ride back had been, which was very silent. Before pushing the door to the 3rd story open, Mulder brushed his lips against mine, and let me go before him. I fished around in my purse for my keys as quickly as I could, but couldn't seem to find them.
"Damn! I don't have my apartment keys!" I said, not panicking yet, hoping that Mulder had his keys. Before I could ask him, he had them out, putting the key in the lock and turning it. He pushed the door open, and the warm glow of my table lamp lit up the living room just right.
"So, want to watch an old movie?" I asked.
"Works for me," he replied.
"Help yourself to whatever's in the cabinents and refrigerator," I said, "And you can check the TV Guide and my VCR cabinent and put in whatever you like, I'm going to go change."
"Put on something black and sexy and get ready to do some funky poaching!" he said, leering suggestively at me.
I rolled my eyes at him and went into my room.

I returned to the living room, and found Mulder laying on the couch. "Can't take up all the space," I teased.
"I was saving this space for you Scully," he said, patting his chest.
The thoughts all swirled in a dizzying motion inside of my brain as I walked placidly over to Mulder and sat on the very edge of the sofa and curled into him. He put his arm comfortably on my side, right above my waist, almost in a danger zone.

"So what are we watching?" I asked, as he placed his chin on top of my head.
"Grease on Dinner-And-A-Movie," he replied.
"Are you kidding Mulder?" I asked, somewhat shocked at his choice. "I thought you'd be more up to a good sci-fi movie or something."
"Our lives are enough of a sci-fi movie for me," he replied somewhat bitterly.

"I'm sorry Mulder."
"Sorry for what?" he asked.
"Sorry for the fact that you're a workaholic, yet you seem to be so sadly angry over it all, like it's all built up inside of you."
"Yeah, we'll that's probably why I'm taking this vacation. They think I'm gonna bust open at the seams, but they'll never know. They don't know that the extraterrestrials are on the verge of wiping out their exsistance, and DAMNIT I'm going on vacation either way!!!" he exploded.

"Let's just watch the movie and forget our woes, how about that Mulder?" I said, turning my head around and kissing him on the cheek.
"Okay," he replied subduedly.
"Let me kiss you Scully," he said suddenly.

"Okay," I replied, hoping I didn't sound tentative, wondering what the hell made him say that.
He stopped and hesitated before me, and I leaned in the rest of the way, closing the gap between us.
"What's wrong Mulder?" I asked, putting my arms around him, hugging him tight.
"I'm just going to miss you so much over these three weeks Scully," he said, wrapping his big, strong arms around me.
"I'll miss you too," I whispered back, touched by how open he was to me. My mind swirled into thoughts of what I would do without him the whole time.

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I lifted my head up groggily to see where all the yellow brightness was coming from, and the path of light led to the culprit- the window. As I came more to my senses, I felt a light weight around my waist, and a warmth. I looked beside me and saw... Mulder.

I glanced down at him, then to the VCR clock. It was 5:49, and I wasn't sure whether or not to wake Mulder, or lay here in his arms til he woke up.

I settled back down into the warmth of him, and took in how serence and innocent he looked asleep, with nothing troubling him at the moment, not having to feel like the scapegoat, the laughingstock, the macho-man, or anything else.

"Good morning sunshine," I said, placing a kiss on his cheek. He stirred slightly, so I tried again, only this time I shook his shoulder a little.
"What the hell do you want," he slurred, not opening his eyes.
"Good morning to you too," I replied, gazing at his sleepy eyes.
"Scully?" he said, focusing on me.
"Your one and only."

"Where are we?"
"My apartment, we fell asleep watching Grease last night, remember now?" I replied, starting to move to get off the couch and fix breakfast, I was so hungry I didn't think I could wait much longer. But before I could get very far up, Mulder tightened his grip around me and pulled me back down on the couch.
"Stay with me for a few more minutes?" he asked imploringly, gazing deep into my eyes, and it sent a tingling sensation up my spine.
I settled back down into my 'groove' and he traced my jawline with his fingers, and he kissed me, with a hunger inside of his bursting, and I simply kissed him back, not wanting the moment, moments plural, to end.
Ending the kiss, he pulled away slightly and whispered, "Let me take you out to breakfast so you won't have to wait much longer."

I changed into jeans and pulled a brush through my hair quickly, while Mulder used my bathroom to do the same, and I walked back into the living room and noticed that the couch cushion was about to fall off. I pushed it back in, and Mulder walked into the living room as I was straightening up.
"Ready?" he asked, and I nodded. I grabbed my purse and we headed out the front door together.

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After a nice breakfast at Waffle House, Mulder drove back to my apartment, and we went back inside my place. Mulder was gazing out the window, and I walked up behind him and put my arms around him.
"Scully, come with me to the islands," Mulder said suddenly.
"Mulder, as much as I'd love to, I just can't. I have a case to work on, we can't just abandon the whole X-Files division for three weeks, and Skinner probably wouldn't allow it anyways," I said, with a remorseful sigh.

"Tell you what Mulder, you go to the islands, have a good vacation, and one day we'll both go away somewhere together, okay?"
"Okay Scully," he replied, sounding.

Mulder pulled his arm up to eye level and looked at it.
"It's that time Scully, I've got a plane to catch in an hour and I need to pack and all..." he said, his voice trailing off.
"Take your cell okay Mulder?" I said, wanting to be able to contact him in case something happened, or if I was desparately lonely.
"Okay," he replied curiously. "I'll call you when I get there," he said, turning and leaning down to kiss me.
"Love you," he said quietly, pushing a strand of hair out of my face and brushing his lips against mine once more.
"I love you too," I replied just as softly, as he walked out of the front foor, knowing that he'd be on my mind every day until he returned.

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