Author: Fallon Ash (fallon_ash@hotmail.com)

Title: Sheriffs and Cigarettes

Disclaimer: These characters are of course not mine, but belong instead to CC, 1013, AG and GA. Most of the story is mine, except that well-known phrase towards the end, and it's based on a story that's not mine, but instead CC's and the writers' and whoever else comes up with these lovely things. If you see an aspect you recognize from one of Normaljean's less knows pieces, yes, she's had that idea too, we've discussed it, and she's ok with me using it as well. (Thanks again, NJ!)

Warning: The usual; consenting adult women in sexual situations, as well as the occasional foul word, both in English and Spanish.

Spoiler: Existence

Rating: R

Keywords: Scully/Reyes slash, Reyes POV

Author's Note: Right, I'll start by apologizing to al those who do know how to speak Spanish. I did take Spanish in High School, but I've forgotten most. What I'm using in here, I had to look up and I have no idea if it's appropriate or offensive or what. If anyone does know that it's the latter, and feel like telling me, please do!

Uhm... and I suppose I could add that Monica might be perceived as slightly out of character, and that I took some liberties with the "You look amazingly beautiful" -scene...

Missing scene "Existence". The sheriff has just left Monica and Dana to go for some... whatever... she's left:

God, when that woman showed up I thought my heart would beat itself out of my chest just to hide under the porch... that fucking car just appeared out of nowhere, and came straight towards me... For a few long seconds I was sure it wouldn't stop... and my body, playing heroine and all, of course wouldn't budge... I'm really stupid on occasions... God...but this, this was just a little too close... I kept seeing Dana dying all by herself out here, because I was stupid enough to get myself killed by a car and couldn't protect her... Fucking car! I'm still feeling the adrenaline pumping through my body... The windows were dark; I had no idea who was inside it... I was absolutely certain it would just run over me, and my last sight would be Billy Miles stepping out and starting towards the stairs... Instead this woman, the Sheriff Something-or-Other, steps out... She said she'd help us, but I'm not sure... I'm probably going paranoid, since I'm generally a pretty darn trusting person... but there's something out her... she just rubs me the wrong way... but we will need the help, I'm sure... Gods... Dana is so calm... I feel like I don't do anything but sit out here, smoking cigarette after cigarette... trying to calm down... yeah right! Like it's gonna work... never did before... Dana's inside... doing... something... I don't know, but at least she doesn't seem to be falling apart, like I am... I know I'll be fine until all this is over... but then... I'm gonna need a few days spent in bed, blinds drawn just to calm me down... Ugh...And to make it even better, I'm to deliver a fucking baby as well... I, who couldn't even keep my fish alive when I was young, am supposed to deliver a baby... and not just any baby. A baby half the universe, yes really, is looking for... a miracle... a child that could never have been... the most precious child ever to have been created... and I'm the one in charge of making sure it's safe... and making sure that neither that child, nor its mother gets hurt or harmed in any way during the process... God... John is so concerned about them... Mother and child... I couldn't bear to let him down again... Having to tell him that we couldn't look any further for whatever vicious creature that killed his son, it tore me apart... but we had done everything... anything... we just couldn't do any more... It broke my heart to have to tell him that... And he cares so much about Dana... I don't think he even knows it himself... I believe thatwhat really drives him here is the thought of her going through what he did... And what that would do to him if he hadn't done everything in his power to stop it... I will do anything to help him...

I dump the butt of the cigarette in the small tray I've put on the railing for this very purpose. It's getting stuffed already... I dig around in my pockets for a new pack, but all I come up with a two lone cigarettes and a crushed and empty package... Shit! I knew I should have brought more... How the hell will I...

Resolutely I put one of them between my lips and the other back into the pieces of paper that used to be a package... I'll deal with abstinence and withdrawal syndromes when they come... yeah right... in like what... ten minutes?... Oh shut up, already! I've got enough to deal with as it is... I don't need any fucking sarcastic voices in my head right now... Go to hell, willya! I'm about to quit anyways! Ha! Yeah right... keep fooling yourself Reyes... You're SOOO good at it...

Inhaling a lungful of cancerous smoke, I feel a presence behind me. I turn around to see Dana step onto the porch. Oops... I sorta left her to herself after I'd made sure that woman had left for good... I hope she didn't need me for anything... Lovely work Reyes... get sent out here to protect and care for her, and dump her on her own every time your nerves get a little frayed... Just wonderful... All kinds of aliens or whatnot could have kidnapped her while I was out here smoking, being oh so watchful of my surroundings... Just call me Agent Attentive... But she doesn't look upset at least... she really looks more... concerned... hmmm... oh...

"Agent Reyes! Are you alright?" Huh? Oh... she's talking to me...Geez, Reyes... and you're supposed to be what? And FBI agent... a great detective...Yeah, right...

"Sure, sure... I'm fine... I just... I don't trust that woman..."

Dana walks up to me and throws a, what? Did I see right??, longing (!?!) gaze at the disintegrating cigarette in my hand. Damn!! Double damn !!! I've wasted half the cigarette! Hastily I draw a few deep breaths, finishing it off... still doesn't help, but then again, did I really expect it to...? Angry with letting more than half of it burn into nothingness all by itself I push the butt into the overflowing ashtray... As my old grandmother used to say... oy, oy, oy... it was really the only thing she ever said... at least when I knew her...

Hmm...Dana is looking at me strangely... eh... Oh! She must have said something... Díos mio, Reyes, last I checked all your six senses were intact... use them!

"I'm sorry... what did you say?" I mutter, looking up at her from under slightly lowered lashes. She looks amused, and still a little concerned. Damn, I'm caught... Oh well... it's not like the filled ashtray was any indication of my current state of mind... Right... I'm like a walking, talking advertisement for Warning: Nervous Breakdown Approaching at High Speed!... she's looking at me... damn... I must have missed something she said again...

"Agent Reyes!" huh...? "Monica!" Right... that's me...

"Sorry, Dana... I'm a little... out of sorts..."

"Are you feeling all right?" That's her already, always concerned; always worrying... or maybe that comes with being pregnant... I don't know... I do know that she's one amazing woman...

"I said..." she breaks through my thought with her pointed silence "there's dinner inside. Are you interested?" And she turns and leaves.

I follow her into the house and am amazed to smell something suspiciously much like food. Did we actually manage to get something edible along with all those cans? Wow... I walk into the dining room... She's set the table, put out the candles I found earlier, there's even a white table cloth... eh... a piece of linen... but anyway!

"God, Dana! Wow... look at that...! That's amazing... and it even smells like food. What did you make?"

"It's canned tomato soup... but I told you was a good idea to get a packet of spices."

Ah.... I get it... she bought some sort of huge packet with a lot of spices... I had no idea what most of them were, but if this is what can be made with them, I'm not protesting! Hmm... looks a little strange, though, but if it smells this heavenly, I'm sure it's edible...

Wow... this is really great... "Dana, this is delicious!"

She just looks at me across the table. "Thank you, Agent Reyes." I feel a little sorry for her. It must be hard, never being able to let her guard down, never drop the titles. Sure, I'm the master of doing it way before it's appropriate... and with people it would never be appropriate with... but she never does it...

Dinner passes in silence... Dana looks a little worried, but then again, who wouldn't be... I'm almost falling apart as it is, and she's the one having the baby... of course, I'm only the one, the only one, responsible for making all this works out... What if Billy Miles finds us... what if that Sheriff can't be trusted...What if something goes wrong during the delivery... what if there's something wrong with the baby... what if I lose them... what if I can't save them...God... how did all this end up being my responsibility... ayudame mamá... she'd know what to do... sometimes I whish I'd followed in my mothers footsteps... upper class private doctor... boring, but well paid... no aliens, no supernatural killers who can't be killed, no babies to deliver without facilities and help... no John... no Dana... no life, 'cause I'd certainly be bored out of it... hmm... I suppose I'm happy with my life, with the choices I've made... It's not like me to question myself like this... overstressful times just tend to get to me... I'm gonna go home to see my parents when this is all over... I need a little reprieve... maybe I'll stay my whole vacation... yeah... I'll like that...

We managed to empty the whole bowl. I'm definitely impressed... then again, we haven't eaten properly in a some times, what with running all around the country... not to mention the Hoover building... And it tasted good, as well...

"Let me take care of the rest, Dana!" I can't believe she'd expect me to sit here and let her do the washing up. I take the dished from her hands. "Go sit down, take it easy. You made dinner, it isn't more than fair." She protests feebly, but her heart isn't in it. She smiles a little and releases her burden, yeah, right, like it's heavy, into my hands. I just don't want her to do anything to jeopardize this. I want her to take it easy, and be calm, and hopefully the rest of it will solve itself in its own time. Yeah, right, Reyes... You really believe that? After all that you've seen so far (Not to mention what she's seen if you've been here like a few weeks and she's been here eight years...) you really expect this to work out without a hitch... go see a shrink, willya... I believe the term is delusion...

Ay... thank god Dana thought to buy soap, or even a simple bowl that held tomato soup wouldn't have gotten clean in this water... icy cold... really icy cold... I'm getting myself one of those candles later... maybe I'll make a small fire on the living room floor to warm up... not that it's really cold... but the water sure is... and I'm so nervous I'm jumping out of my skin at every little sound...and when I'm nervous I always freeze... And I'm cold... then again, they do say haunted houses are supposedly colder that the surroundings, without any explainable reason... My freezing could be due to there being ghosts here... maybe someone was murdered here, and is doomed to forever haunt this house until its murderer is found... causing chills to run up and down the spines of everyone staying here... maybe he was killed in this very kitchen...

CRASH!!

"Shit! Fuck! Carajo! Ouch!" Man, I can't believe I dropped the frickin' bowl... And I cut my hand on top of it... that's it... no more thoughts of ghosts this evening... it's bad enough as it is... ¡Billyboy, vaya al Diablo!... ¡No aguanto más! Voy a suicidarme... eso es más demasiado...¡Chinga su madres, malditos extraterrestres! ¡Voy a asesinarle! ¡Voy a.....

"...nica!! MONICA !!!!!" What...? Oh... OH.... Didn't realize I was talking out loud... Dana's standing in the kitchen, looking determined, but really confused... I take a reflective look at myself... ah... good one, Reyes... stalk around the kitchen, shattered porcelain on the floor, holding your head while muttering in Spanish... not to mention the blood dripping from you... Eh, Reyes, try not to kill the pregnant woman by scaring her to death, willya...!

"I'm... I'm sorry, Dana... I broke the bowl.... And... I got a little upset... I'll be fine..."

No... no!! Please... not the raised eyebrow look... please, please... just tell me I'm acting like a five-year-old instead...

"Monica... I think you've done enough out here... come sit down with me for a while."

She takes my arm, and starts to lead me towards the living room... or simply the room... it's really used for everything... Her hand is warm on my arm... she doesn't seem to have any problems with freezing... she seems to be hot instead... eh... ok, ok... pun intended... there's something about her that just... glows... I can't get over it... maybe it has to do with pregnancy... that's what they say... not like I would now... I probably never will... sigh... but Dana will... wonder if that's where the static electricity comes from as well... my whole arm is tingling from her touch... it's a very interesting feeling.

We reach the couch (read: undercover bed)... GOD!! Kill me now... that's the sign... I'm going crazy... telling myself really bad jokes is the last step... now there's no stopping...

"AGHHH!!" I almost en up face down on Dana's belly... By the last fraction of a second I manage to salvage the almost-wreckage by grabbing the back of the bed/couch and fall heavily down just beside her instead of on her...

Hmm... that's what happens when you don't pay attention... being pulled down on couches takes consciousness. Dana continues to hold on to my arm, though, making small circles with her thumb, on the soft skin on the inside just below my elbow... wonder if she knows how sensitive I am there... it is so soothing... that such a small motion can do so much... Hmm... my body goes completely limp and there's nothing for me to do but lean into her, and she meets my head with hers, turning slightly so that her forehead rests close to the back of my head... goodness... she's... that's so... she's simply blowing, hot air that ruches over the back of my neck... causing shivers to run all across my body, and my eyelids to heavily close... how can... what is she doing to me... GOD!... my whole body makes a minute jerk when she softly... so agonizingly softly put her lips to my neck, nipping gently, sucking even more gently... her lips... they're setting me on fire... I tip my head back and to the side, to give her better access... wonder why she's doing this... but it feels so good. I hope she doesn't stop. She brings her hand up to my neck, turning my head towards her. Her eyes are dark in the candle light, pupils dilated and burning a hole right through my head... she must be able to see my feelings, I feel completely open to her, like she can see straight into my very soul... god, that scares me... how is she able to affect me like that? I can't stand her eyes... there will be nothing left of me in here if she keeps that up. I look at her lips instead... slightly open, red... surrounded by a soft flush... they're so lovely when she moves them, wrapping her lips around every word, giving it a safe journey out into the world... like she's doing now... oops...

I raise my eyes to hers again, slightly sheepish... "sorry..." I whisper...

She gives me one of those enigmatic smiles of hers "I'll just assume then, that your not answering indicates an affirmative mind..."

"What... I..." Hey! I'm alarmed here... Oh, shut up!! Which seems to be what Dana's thinking, because she removes the hand from my neck to cover my lips with her fingers... stroking is more like it... how can someone's fingers doing virtually nothing make me feel like this... I could love this woman. Not that I didn't know before... but I was too afraid to even think it. She's much too unreachable to even think about without ending up getting hurt myself... but this, now this puts a whole different spin to it... she's leaning closer... is she actually going to... Oh Goooood...... I'm completely melting under her mouth... she's moving her lips against mine, and I'm floating somewhere in the room, too stunned, on too high a pleasure level to do anything but respond in the same manner... she's amazing... this is too wonderful... perfect bliss settles over my being, and peace descends... I'm standing in the gate to heaven, and she's my ticket to get in...

WHAT??

She pulls back, and looks once again into my eyes. A slight smile is playing on her lips.

"Monica," the sound of my name is a caress coming from her lips... she looks apologetic... "Maybe you better get some more water. We don't have enough here as it is..." My brain is one giant heap of goo... she wants more water...?? I look at her incredulously... "There is a bucket of water in the kitchen. I'd feel better if it was here close by."

Ok... right... water... I can do that... of course, my legs are spaghetti, and my hands will probably shake out all the water before I get back with it, but no problem... I can do that...

I rise, and sure enough, I have to steady myself against the back of the bed... Dana smiles a little wider, and I throw her as dirty a look as I can muster... I think the result was closer to adoringly stupid instead... but oh well... water it is.

When I get back with the water, I'm struck once again by her beauty... it's amazing... just looking at her, and I'm melting... I never thought anyone, man nor woman, would ever be able to have this effect on me... maybe she's the one... I'm only slightly surprised at the words that I suddenly hear stumbling from my lips...

"I have to say, with everything I know you must be feeling, you look amazingly beautiful, Dana..."

I quickly snap my mouth closed... I hadn't really meant to say that out loud... But she looks pleased at the words.

"Why, thank you Monica. You are quite beautiful yourself" and she appraisingly looks me up and down with such scrutiny I start blushing... Feeling like a fourteen-year-old with her first crush, I attempt to hide it by putting the bucket down and sit down, a sort of 'safe distance' between us this time. Naturally, Dana is having none of that.

Sliding closer to me on the couch, she wraps an arm around my middle, and pulls me close to her body. The feeling of her warmth and softness around me is heavenly, but I get an indignant kick in the back when I come close to her belly. Her soft laughter is vibrating through my body.

"Sorry about that..." A gentle whisper.

I laugh with her, making sure I am not too heavy on her, but she doesn't seem to mind. She just leans her head on my shoulder, making small circles with her hand on my stomach.

A light nip on my neck shakes me out of my drowsing state of bliss and alerts me that she has not forgotten her previous activities. Goodness, one touch from her and I turn to jelly. Can she have any idea of how much I have wanted this...? Her hand on my cheek is warm, and her touch electric as she turns my head towards her and my lips are captured by hers. Jesus... cliché or no cliché; if I died now, I'd die perfectly happy...

Her hand is underneath my shirt, sliding upwards. God... how can it feel this good... it never has before... I arch into her touch; teasing, fleeting touches through my bra... why can't she just... Ohh...! She is... I am... God... I can't think straight... she's amazing...

Her tongue is in my mouth, her hand under my shirt inside my bra, my nipples aching for more attention and my head is spinning round, round, round...... Ay... don't leave me... the muscles on my stomach are contracting as her hand fleetingly, oh so softly trace a pattern there, with a clear path downwards... My pants are unzipped and she's stroking the edge of my panties back and forth.

Suddenly... goodness, where did that come from... the slightest chill races up my spine... why would she... could I just walk away from this afterwards? I don't think that could be possible... not if she finishes this...

My body yells at me for being an idiot, but I capture her hand in mine, and pull away a little, so I can look into her eyes. I just need to know...

"Why are you doing this, Dana?"

"As a way to help you relax..." I recoil slightly at her words... that's all? ... "and it is a thank you..." what? She's doing it out of some obligation to me...??? I try to pull back further but she holds on to me... "for everything that you've done for me... for everything that you are..." God... if that's all, I'll simply die... my heart is thudding painfully in my chest... she... does this not mean anything to her... ? "And finally," she brings up my hand and presses her lips to it... "it is a token of my affection, because I would never do this had I not cared so much for you."

"But, what about... what happens tomorrow...?" Figuratively speaking.

She takes it literally.

"I don't know... depends on this little one..." she looks down on her belly...

"I meant... what will happen to us... later..."

"Well..." she looks down. For the first time I see uncertainty in her eyes... "Hopefully... this will be only the beginning..." and she bites her lower lips and looks up at me through her lashes.

I bring my face close to hers, caressing her cheek with my own. "Good..." I whisper against her ear, and place a soft kiss there.

She lets her hand resume the downwards motion it had started earlier, and I feel my hips rising up to meet it. I let my head fall back onto her shoulder, and as her intimate touch coaxes my body higher and higher, I'm falling, falling, into her, inside her, home... I'm finally home.

The End