*Warning: Mature Content*

Chapter 4 – Partners, in every possible way

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

The cream wall was cool against Mulder's shoulders as he stood leaning back against it in the tiny foyer of his hotel room. Letting out a huge sigh, he tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling as the self-flagellations continued mercilessly.

Stupid, stupid, stupid! Mulder chastised himself internally, rubbing his eyes as the implications of his recent actions really began to sink in. "What the hell is wrong with me?" he wondered harshly, shaking his head in disgust. Although it made sense at the time, he now could not comprehend why he had just passed up the chance to spend the night with a beautiful woman he loved, enjoying incredible sex, warm and happy in her embrace. Not only that, he had hurt her with his rejection. Furious with himself, he banged his head back against the wall with a dull thud. He really was not a credit to men everywhere.

A knock on the door startled Mulder so badly that he jumped almost to the ceiling. Reaching forward, he grabbed the handle and swung the door open, revealing Scully standing in the hallway with a sheepish look on her face. Smiling crookedly, she held out Mulder's suit jacket.

"You forgot this." Wordlessly, Mulder reached for it but she side stepped him, pushing past him into the room and tossing it on the plaid couch on the far side of the oak dresser.

"Thanks." he said, watching her face carefully, trying to identify the emotion currently residing there. "Look, Scully . . ." he started, but once again found his vocabulary drying up as he looked into her eyes. His tongue felt heavy and unwieldy in his mouth. She deserved better than him, he knew it, but it was taking all he had not to grab her and kiss her hard on the mouth.

"Mulder, it's okay," Scully saved him from having to stumble through his explanation again with a wave of her hand. "I get it. I really do. And . . ." she paused momentarily, running a finger along the smooth surface of the dresser. Eventually she raised her eyes to look at him, and there was a happiness there that Mulder saw so very rarely in his beautiful partner and soul mate. "And I feel the same way."

Mulder felt his heart leap in time with her words. Instinctively, he moved toward her, but she held up her hands, stopping him in his tracks. "I need you to know that it was never just sex to me either. No matter how hard I tried, I could not distance myself from it, from you. But Mulder, I'm scared. I don't know how we will do it. Partners, in every possible way? How will we keep our work life separate from our personal life? How will we manage it?" As Scully babbled on nervously, Mulder crossed the distance between them until he had her back up against the wall. She instantly stopped talking, breathless from the proximity of his heat.

"I don't know how we will do it either Scully, I really don't." Gently, he lowered his mouth to her ear, kissing just below the earlobe in a move that made her tremble. "But let's at least give it a try." He moved his mouth over her and kissed her passionately, his hands moving up to tangle in her hair. He pressed himself against her, trapping her against the wall, and the feel of her body almost drove him crazy. She moaned softly and arched her back, pressing her pelvis against him. He reached down, pushed up her dress and grabbed the back of her thighs, lifting her up and wrapping her legs around his waist as he held her against the wall. She kissed him back with such an intense urgency that he could barely think straight. His hormones drowned out the inner voice that was frantically reminding him to take it slow.

Mulder spun around, carrying Scully over to the couch and laying down on top of her. She ran her hands up and down his back while her legs slid up and down his calves sensually. He pressed her into the couch cushions, holding her hips down and kissing her hard on the mouth. Smoothly, his hand slid up her dress, tickling the inside of her thighs as his mouth covered hers, tasting her, increasing her passion exponentially.

When his fingers brushed against the soft material of her panties, Mulder broke the kiss and looked down at Scully's beautiful body. Shifting his weight to the side and sliding down her body, he kissed and nibbled at her knees gently as her hand slid encouragingly up into his hair. The sight of her simple black lace panties made his body respond in a way he didn't think possible before now.

Scully held her breath as Mulder's fingers traced the waistband of her panties, his ragged breathing matching hers. In that moment, she wanted both of them naked so badly it physically hurt. She wanted to feel him inside her again. Moaning quietly, she lifted her hips slightly and whispered his name.

Mulder needed no further encouragement, moving his hand into her panties and gently sliding them down her legs and off, tossing them on the floor carelessly. She lay there beneath him, feeling vulnerable and exposed, but never afraid. He let his fingers trace around between her legs, teasing her, exploring softly in a way that made the room go blurry. The anticipation was getting so intense she couldn't sit still. She rocked back and forth in the soft cream cushions, enjoying the exquisite sensations that his fingers were evoking. He truly was a skilled investigator, no doubt about that.

Suddenly he moved back over her, his mouth coming down hard on hers, smothering her. Her legs wrapped around him instinctively and she moaned into his mouth, which drove him to kiss her even harder. Sliding her hands down his back, she yanked his dress shirt out of his pants, running her carefully French manicured fingernails down his back. He gasped a little, arching away from her fingers, but closing his eyes with pleasure. His body strained against his clothes as his mind kept chanting "slow slow slow" over and over again.

Mulder's hands roamed over her smooth legs and butt, teasing, kneading, stroking as she pulled at the buttons on his shirt until it was loose enough he could pull it over his head and toss it on the floor, the white a sharp contrast against her previously discarded jet black panties. When he straightened to pull off his shirt, her hand immediately went to the buckle on his belt, undoing it and pushing down his pants, revealing a pair of silky soft boxers. He stood up, kicking off his pants and trying to catch his breath. As he looked down at her, his heart swelled with love. She looked strangely innocent, laying there on the couch with her dress pushed up, naked from the waist down.

After admiring her for a moment, Mulder took Scully's hands and helped her stand, turning her around so her back was pressed against his chest. He buried his face in her shoulder, inhaling the sweet scent of her shampoo, letting his hands roam her body gently. She leaned back against him, tilting her head, giving him full access to her neck, which he nibbled at softly while his hand cupped one of her breasts through her dress.

"Mulder, please," she whispered, the anticipation building to an unbearable level as he caressed her.

She almost groaned in disappointment as he stepped back, removing his hands from her body, but was soon placated when she felt his fingers on the zipper of her dress, slowly moving it down, the sound of it harsh in the relative quiet of the room. Once he had the zipper all the way down, he left the dress hanging on her body for a moment as he stepped back in, kissing her shoulder blades and then finding the sensitive spot at the back of her neck that, when he had kissed it the first time, had rewarded him with a full body shudder and a moan of pleasure. He was not disappointed this time either. Gently, he slid the straps of her black dress off her shoulders, letting it slide down her body and pool around her feet. As she stepped out of it, he noted with a wave of pleasure that she was not wearing a bra.

"You really are so beautiful Scully," Mulder whispered as he wrapped his arms around her from behind again. She looked back and smiled at him, taking his hands and leading him over to the bed. She let go only long enough to crawl onto the bed, looking so delicious framed by the patterned comforter. She was so tiny, tiny and taut. He stood for a moment, appreciating her body, before sliding his boxers down and standing before her naked. He lowered himself on her gently, admiring her tiny frame, enjoying the feel of her warm, sticky, sweaty skin against his.

"Please," Scully pleaded again, thrusting herself up against him. He groaned and tried to gather himself, leaning forward and burying his face in her hair. He was already close, just from the anticipation of the final act, and he hadn't even entered her yet. He kissed his way up from her hair, caressing her earlobe, kissing her neck, then moving along her jaw bone and over her chin, skipping her mouth, kissing each of her eyes before letting his forehead rest against hers. Once he felt sufficiently in control, he opened his eyes and positioned himself over her. He wanted to watch her face while he entered her.

Gently, Mulder used his legs to separate hers. She was trembling with anticipation, her hands stroking his strong abs, her chest heaving up and down. As he lowered himself, his eyes bore into hers, alert for any signs of pain, and praying for signs of pleasure.

Mulder loved the way that he could easily find the right spot with Scully. He wasn't a skilled lover by any stretch, having been too 'spooky' to get a lot of attention from the opposite sex while growing up. But he had had enough lovers to know that it could be really awkward as they fumbled together to find the right spot. With Scully, it hadn't been an issue. He found the right spot with ease, entering her deeply, aroused intensely by the look of pleasure on her face as he did so. Her eyes were closed, her head tilted back, her mouth parted slightly. He went in as far as he could go and, suddenly realizing he had been holding his breath, let it out with a loud whoosh. God, she fit him perfectly. Again he found himself needing to lay still and collect himself as he adjusted to the sensation of being inside her. When he opened his eyes, she was watching him carefully.

"You okay?' she whispered, running a hand softly over his face.

"Better than okay," he breathed. "Just trying to make this last longer than thirty seconds." She laughed softly, letting her fingers trail over his lips, tracing them. "How about you? Am I hurting you? Does this feel okay?"

"Better than okay," she smiled. Slowly, he started to swivel his hips, and she let out a gasp of pleasure with each movement. The sensations were so intense and she was so tight that his entire body began to tremble and sweat dripped slowly down his spine.

"How about we aim for 45 seconds?" he gasped between thrusts. She managed a small laugh before being silenced by a wave of pleasure as he pushed hard into her. She closed her eyes and dug her nails into his shoulder, each thrust taking her deeper and deeper until she lost any concept of where she was. Any hesitations she may have had were now miles away. As his movements sped up, she found herself lost in the pleasure, tightening her legs around him, intensifying the sensations until she could not take it any longer and she felt herself slip over the edge into a long, slow, languid orgasm, breathing his name over and over.

Mulder felt her respond under him and it nearly drove him crazy. He increased the frequency and depth of his thrusts, pushing deeper and more intently, burying his face into her shoulder, grunting with the effort, taking in the scent of her, the taste of her salty skin against his lips. Quickly the pressure built to an unbearable level and Scully felt him shudder over her, push himself in as far as she could take him, and then empty inside her, mumbling her name before collapsing, spent, on top of her. Scully smiled peacefully, stroking his hair, enjoying the gift he had left inside of her, a gift that not even when he withdrew could be taken away. He had given her so much that no one could take away really, and she loved him for that.

It took close to a minute before Mulder stirred and moved off of her, still breathing thickly. He lay down beside her, letting his hand rest lazily on her belly, tracing circles aimlessly. Scully almost giggled when she realized that the formation of the circles closely resembled crop circles. Even after incredible sex, Mulder was still Mulder.

He caught her smile and couldn't stop himself from smiling in return as he leaned forward and lazily kissed her shoulder. "You are so amazing," he whispered, closing his eyes and laying his head down on his pillow, exhausted.

He had almost drifted off to sleep when her voice made him stir.

"Mulder?"

"Mmmmmmm?"

Curling up against him and wrapping her arm around his waist, Scully hid her smile in the soft hair of his chest. "Just for the record, that was totally incredible, but my heart still belongs to Associate Producer Skinner."

The timbre of Mulder's laughter could be heard echoing all the way down the hall.

END