Free Me

Disclaimer: I own nothing :0( (only what happens to be in my imagination) All characters belong to Chris Carter. The song belongs to Emma Bunton.

Dana Scully looked across the room at her partner. He was sat at his desk, the silly dreamy expression he wore told her that his mind was any where else than where is should have been….on the case file in front of him. But she couldn't chastise him for not working, she was hardly being productive either. It wasn't her fault though, it was a very quiet day in the X-Files basement. Their previous attempts at keeping boredom at bay had included several short lived games of I-spy and "Guess the X-File" before Mulder decided to find out how many pencils he could throw into a single ceiling tile.

Scully put down her pen, placed both elbows on the desk and rested her chin in her hands and watched her partner.

*God! He looks just too adorable. How the hell does he do it? Anyone else wearing that expression would just look ridiculous, yet he pulls it off…*

She couldn't help but giggle as she saw a goofy smile appear on his face. The sound of her laughter must have broken his trance because he turned to look at her, screwed up a piece of paper and threw it in her direction.

"Ow!" Scully cried in mock pain, throwing the paper back at him.

"Well, I was enjoying that!" Mulder replied pretending to be upset with her.

"Didn't your parents' ever tell you it's very rude to disturb a mans daydreaming Scully?" Scully laughed.

"Nope. I mustn't having been paying attention to that particular lecture, Mulder."

"Well it is." He answered in an matter of fact tone.

"I'll keep that in mind for the next time I see you not working."

Mulder grinned, a big, childish, friendly grin at her and Scully felt her heart swell. She shifted her gaze to her computer screen to hide the colour that had risen to her cheeks. Mulder didn't seem to notice her change in colour which was good.

*Where the hell did that come from?*

"Anyway, Scully, I'm not the only one not working. You're hardly "employee of the month" today are you? Her partner said rather pointedly. Scully didn't take her eyes from the screen as she continued to type up her case notes.

"I'm working now aren't I?" Her voice was tinged slightly with annoyance but Scully couldn't justify as to the reason why.

"Point taken. Guess I should at least make myself look busy, right?" Her partner sighed reluctantly. He didn't want to go back to work. He wanted to pick his daydream up where it had been left. He wanted to continue dreaming of the girl he was in love with…the girl who was sitting across the room from him.

They worked in silence, Mulder looking at crime scene photo's of old cases and Scully typing up her reports. An hour later they were pretty much done, although Scully was a quick typer so her work was done in half the time. Not wanting to engage Mulder in any type of conversation she stayed sat at her computer pretending to still be busy, but her thoughts had wandered to their earlier conversation. More specifically to her reaction to him when he had pointed out that she had not been working too.

*why was I so annoyed with him? He was right, I hadn't been busy, he hadn't offended me.*

Scully remembered her reaction at his smile and her heart fluttered again at the thought. This confused her and it angered her a little to not know why she was reacting this way to her partner. Stealing a quick glance over at where her partner was working, Scully found herself struggling to look away. Her eyes became glued to him. She could see the toned muscles in his back, under the thin cotton of his shirt. They rippled slightly with his movements as studied his pictures. His hands, she noted were just the right size to envelope her own. His perfectly shaped bottom lip quivered as he muttered to himself. Out of nowhere visions flashed in Scully's head, of Mulder's lips against her own, his hands holding onto each side of her face, while she ran her own hands up and down his back, feeling the muscles that had captivated her so…

*Hold it! Slow it right down Dana! What the hell are you doing?*

"I don't know!…" she whispered to herself, half angry, half confused. These thoughts about her work mate startled and unnerved her. Shaking her head to try and clear her chaotic mind, she clicked the print button on the computer screen. Removing the sheets of paper from the printer Scully stapled them together and walked over to Mulder's desk. Mulder looked up at her as he heard her approach him. Without Scully ever having to say a word, Mulder could always look at her and read her like a book: happiness, sadness, fear, worry, excitement, love…boredom… You name it and he had seen it in the pretty blue eyes of his FBI partner. And this time was no different. He could see the storm in those restless, unhappy eyes. Try as she may, there was no hiding her emotions from Fox Mulder.

"Here's the report for that case involving "Elvis" and the hippo." she said in a dejected tone as she handed him her work. He replied with a polite smile.

"Thanks Scully." As he took the papers from her their fingers brushed up against each other. Scully's fingertips tingled with his touch.

*Has he just felt tingles too?*

Looking down into Mulder eyes, Scully could have sworn she saw sparks of electricity flash in her partner's verdigris eyes. She was hypnotised by his eyes: blue and green with flecks of amber and gold. The colours in his eyes swirled around her and she felt quite faint, as though her legs would no support her...Scully suddenly felt a very urgent, very real need to cry. Bowing her head to avoid looking directly at Mulder, she turned and walked quickly back to her desk. As his partner walked away from him, Mulder stretched out the fingers of the hand that had just been in contact with Scully…an automatic response to the 10,000 volts of pure energy that were currently coursing through his body. Feeling a little bit like a lovesick teenager, Mulder remained behind his desk feeling utterly amazed and yet, at the same time, rather unsurprised at what he has just seen in his partners face. He always knew it was just a matter of time…

Scully sat at her desk feeling extremely bewildered and completely embarrassed at her behaviour.

*Why am I getting tingly feelings for Mulder? Why do I feel like I am falling each time I look at him? Why am I even thinking tingly thoughts about him? Am I falling for my partner? No. I can't be! I mean, he's Mulder. He's immature and annoying and impulsive and irrational!…and…and…sweet and protective and wonderful and unreservedly Mulder…*

Realisation dawned on her as unrelenting waves of unnameable emotions swept over her...

*OhMyGod! I AM in love with Fox Mulder!*

Men …they all wanted to be Mulder. Although a loner, quirky and "Spooky", believing in every conspiracy theory going, he had an aura about him… he was definitely too cool for school: he was masculine without being Neanderthal, sensitive without being overly feminine, charming without being sleazy, he broke every rule he could and didn't care less about other peoples' opinion of him.

If you were female, then just being around Fox Mulder was enough to make you go weak at the knees. Women seemed to gravitate towards him. He was tall, dark and extremely handsome, if you liked that of thing. His eyes were the darkest shade of moss green you could ever imagine to see. His lips were just begging to be kissed. Scully was his partner and didn't see any of this. She was his equal, his best friend, just as capable to work on the X-Files as he was. She didn't respond to him in the same way as the other women at the FBI did. That was…until now.

Being with you, longing for something to happen.

Biding my time, hoping to get a reaction.

Atmosphere's tense, heavy with anticipation.

Don't leave me here with only my imagination….

All of a sudden Scully felt very warm, the air in that tiny basement seemed thick and opaque. Feeling as though she was fighting for air, Scully started to fan herself with a left over case file. Furiously at first she wafted the papers over herself, then as she surrendered to herself, the "fan" slowed until eventually it stopped altogether and fell onto the desk She could feel Mulder's imaginary fingers softly caressing her face. The usually pale skin on her cheeks blushed scarlet where his touch burned into her. Those lips that so many women want claim with their own were scattering butterfly soft kisses over the delicate skin on her throat and neck…

"…Scully?" Mulder's voice sliced through the misty swirls of her imagination. Jumping at his voice, Scully opened her eyes and hoped they weren't going to betray her… No such luck. Mulder could see the flames flickering behind her eyes from where he was sitting.

"Are you ok Scully?" he enquired, clearly wondering at the sudden change in her behaviour.

"Yes. I'm fine.

*No I'm not. Not at all. I'm burning up for you Mulder…*Scully plastered a large smile onto her face, hoping that would be enough of an answer for him. His response, she didn't understand: He simply looked back at his work, but there was a smile playing at the corners of his mouth, secretive and knowing…

Free me. Now free me. Let me loose to love you. Yeah, how I long to seduce you. Oh free me, let me loose to love you. How I long to seduce you now.

*Oh! If only we weren't partners. If only you were some boring, ordinary man who has a nine to five in a bank somewhere. I would be free to be with you then. I would be free to love you... But we are partners and you are not some boring, ordinary man who has a nine to five in a bank somewhere. You're you and …I don't think I would want you if you were not you…And I do want you Mulder. I want you so much…*

How long can I continue to suffer in silence? My aching heart can't bear to await in such suspense.So maybe it's time to tell you just how I am feeling. This fervent desire that I have long been concealing.
*…God this is un bearable…so unfair! How can I fall in love with Mulder? I want to touch him, to kiss him, to …love him and yet I can't do any of it. He doesn't love me, but I have to tell him... No! I need to tell that I love him. I can't go on like this…but if I tell him how I feel it's going to ruin everything… years of friendship, and a loyal partnership…GONE. And all because I couldn't keep my mouth shut over something that shouldn't even be happening! Everything is going to be completely ruined! *

Scully was released from her reverie and despair by a soft gentle voice at her ear.

"No… it won't."
It were as if her thoughts were audible, that Mulder had heard every thought in her head but she knew that wasn't possible. She hadn't spoken a word of it out loud. The truth was that Mulder had known exactly what she was thinking from the conflicting emotions that played on her face. Scully turned her head to find him only Millimetres away from her, kneeling on the floor next to her chair. Stunned at the words she had just heard and realising what he had meant by them. Scully stared at her partner in disbelief. Looking into his eyes she saw her own feelings for him reflected back for her…her entire body trembled with intense desire. She knew in that instant that she would not nor could not love anyone else other than Fox Mulder for the rest of eternity. She would die for him if she had to and that she would do it willingly…without a second thought.

"It won't ruin anything at all."
There was so much truth in his voice and love in his eyes that Scully felt tears of unadulterated joy well up and couldn't stop them from escaping. She slid from her chair to join him on the floor. With tears streaming down her face she pulled him towards her and kissed him with a passion that she knew no one else would ever feel. What she felt for her partner was just so much more than what other people experienced. It went beyond the boundaries of a physical plane, of time and space. Her love for Fox Mulder was eternal…

Mulder was reacting to her kiss as much as she was. His hands played in her hair as his lips memorised every feature of her face. As they broke their kiss in need of air Scully decided to ask Mulder the most important she would ever ask of anyone. Her voice was hushed and earnest, carrying in it so much hope and love and anticipation….

"Fox Mulder, Do you love me as much as I am in love with you?" Looking into his beautiful, boyish face, she saw how serious it had become in the last few moments and it upset her to see it.

"No. No I don't" The sadness in his voice was tangible and it splintered Scully's already fragile heart into pieces to hear him say those words. With her gaze fixed to the floor and fresh tear threatening to fall, Mulder gently placed his hand under her chin and turned her head to look at him. Not taking his eyes off hers, he smiled the smile that Scully would soon claim as "her" smile and finished his sentence.

" …I love you more."

THE END