Oh you're in my blood like holy wine

Taste so bitter and so sweet

Oh I could drink a case of you

And I would still be on my feet

- "Case of You", Joni Mitchell

Chapter 4

Mulder was right on point. There were beautiful Hawaiian women waiting for them, with leis to put around their necks.

This made Mulder's day. She looked at him out of the corner of his eye as the local was putting the lei around him and she couldn't help but laugh.

If they ended up together, she would see to it that he got out more.

At the baggage claim, they waited around for their bags, taking in the sights, sounds, and feelings of Hawaii. Out of the corner of her eye, Scully spied a man in khaki shorts and a bold print Hawaiian top with flip-flops holding a sign that said "Mulder, party of 2" .

She felt warmth in her heart at that moment. Mulder, party of two. She liked the way that sounded in her head.

Scully nudged Mulder and said, "what's that?"

Mulder smiled and said, "Oh just a little something I had to contribute to the trip so I didn't look like a complete mooch. So I had this guy pick us up in a Jeep Wrangler. They say it's the best way to see the parts of the island away from the highway. The Jeep will be ours for the whole trip."

Scully smiled back at him and said, "You didn't have to do that Mulder. Thank you."

The man in the hula shirt, whose name was Mino, loaded their bags into the Jeep. Mulder and Scully took the back and Mino hopped in the driver's seat and took off.

"Are you two here for your anniversary or a just special occasion?" asked Mino.

Scully blushed and looked down, but Mulder said, "Not an anniversary, but we are here on a special occasion."

Scully glanced at him with a quizzical look. He did not return her look. His eyes remained forward, with a faint grin on his face.

Suddenly, Scully realized that maybe she wasn't the only one with anagenda. It frightened her and excited her all at the same time.

The drive to the villa was about 30 minutes. The view of the island was breathtaking and no one said much. It was mostly, "Oh wow!" or "Look at that!"

But when Mino pulled up to the villa, both Mulder and Scully gave a "Holy shit!"

The place was immaculate on the outside. The villa was a two-story stricture. The wood was dark and rich; it was tucked away in the beautiful foliage, several yards away from the beach. The villa had huge picture windows and a back deck that went on forever.

Mulder and Scully's attention went to the driveway where a second Jeep pulled in behind them.

"My ride's here," Mino said. "The Jeep is yours for ten days. If you follow this road to the highway and make a right and go about ten minutes you will reach a small town that will have a grocery store and other things you may need."

"Thank you so much!" Scully said.

"Enjoy your vacation, mister and misses Mulder." Mino smiled and hopped into the Jeep and they drove away.

"Would you look at this place Scully?" Mulder breathed. "Imagine if we were paying for this, it would cost an arm and a leg."

"Yeah I know," she breathed. "Let's see what it looks like inside."

Inside was just as amazing as the outside. The kitchen was huge, with big marble counters and lots of space. There was a bathroom and a foyer. The living room was open and airy, with a big cathedral ceiling and gigantic windows that looked out onto the deck. It had a big television and a large, overstuffed cream-colored sofa with a matching love seat. The whole house was carpeted with a soft plush carpet/

They stepped out onto the deck and saw the back yard. There was a pool and a hot tub and a nice grill area. There was even a wet bar. The back yard looked like something out of some tropical paradise movie.

"I know where I'm retiring," mused Mulder.

Upstairs was a loft that looked over the living room. There were two guest rooms and a master bedroom with a bathroom attached to it.

The master bedroom had a king sized bed that Scully fell right into. "Oh my God," she sighed. "This bed is perfect."

Mulder and Scully explored the house a little more and unpacked their bags. The living arrangement was not discussed; they just both naturally assumed they were both staying in the master bedroom. There were no objections when they started unpacking their things.

Scully was glad for this. She'd been wondering how he could stay in the same room as her without her having to open the can of worms just yet. Timing was everything.

A wave of exhaustion ran over her.

"Mulder I think I am going to take an afternoon nap. I might be a bit jet-lagged."

"I'm pretty rested after those horse tranquilizers you gave me, so I'm going to head into town and pick up some things," he said, grateful for the time alone so he could cope with the "what next?" feeling he had.

Scully fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow, while Mulder hopped into the Jeep and hit up the grocery store.

As he cruised down the highway, he looked out to his right and saw the water meet the sky and it was absolutely breathtaking. He hoped that this trip with them would lead up to something evolving between them. He wasn't sure what to think. Some moments he felt that she returned his feelings, other moments it seemed like she was a million miles away somewhere else, his love unrequited.

The town and the lone grocery store were relatively easy to find.

Mulder picked up some fresh seafood and steaks for the grill, some fresh vegetables, a bottle of white wine, and just some little things to snack on for breakfast and lunch. He picked up some candles and matches for the dining room table, and on the way to the checkout lane, he spotted a case of Miller Lite and suddenly beer sounded really good. He wasn't a big drinker, but there was something about warm weather and a grill that made beer very appealing.

By the time he got back to the villa, it was about 6pm and dark. He headed up the stairs to check on Scully. She was still sleeping peacefully. He hated to wake her, but couldn't ignore the rumbling in his stomach. He hadn't eaten since the morning and knew Scully hadn't either.

He kneeled down so he was at her eye level and gently touched her arm. Her blue eyes opened slightly and she smiled.

"Hi," she said sleepily.

At that very moment Mulder's heart melted. He wasn't sure how much longer he could wait.

"I'm going to make dinner. Do you want steak or salmon?"

She pondered the question for a moment and then chose salmon.

"I'm going to get started on dinner, come down whenever," he said, and then disappeared down the stairs.

Scully lay in bed and thought about Mulder for a moment. While she was sleeping he went out and got groceries and now he was making her dinner. She sure could get used to this. She had forgotten how nice it was to have someone in her life like this. Although Mulder wasn't really in her life like that (though she hoped he would be) the feeling still felt the same.

She got out of bed, freshened up her hair and changed into a sleeveless, casual sundress. She headed downstairs to see what Mulder was up to. Passing through the living room Scully went into the kitchen and saw it was empty.

Confused, she turned around and saw the deck was all lit up. She smiled as she saw Mulder out there with the grill, cooking their dinner and drinking a beer. He had their table outside set already, complete with candles and everything.

She went back into the kitchen and grabbed a beer for herself and another for Mulder. This whole thing seemed so natural. It made everything so much easier. It just seemed like the next natural step in their relationship was to become romantically involved. Everything else seemed to fit. It was weird that it wasn't weird.

Mulder saw Scully open the sliding glass door and step out onto the deck. She looked beautiful in her sundress. It was sleeveless and he could see her arms and neck perfectly. He saw the curve of her neck meeting her collarbone and wanted to devour it. He wanted to devour her, and taste every part of her.

"I didn't know if you were out yet, but I grabbed another for you," Scully said shyly, handing him a beer.

"And I didn't even have to put out," deadpanned Mulder. "Thank you."

Scully sat down at the table and opened her beer, taking a large swig and sighing with satisfaction.

Surprised, Mulder laughed. "Scully I never knew you were a beer drinker."

She smiled shyly and said, "I like a cold one from time to time."

Take another swig, she added, "There's a lot you don't know about me."

Scully wasn't sure if it was because she had some liquid courage or that at that point she just didn't give a shit anymore. Loneliness was a bitch and made you say and do desperate things.

Mulder looked at her wryly. "Oh really."

Scully regained some of her composure and dignity and decided not to travel down that increasingly slippery slope just yet.

Timing was everything.

Dinner was finally ready and Mulder and Scully sat outside, under the stars, eating dinner, drinking beer, and enjoying each other's company for hours.

Finally, as conversation began winding down, Scully stretched and checked the time on her cell phone.

"Jesus Mulder," she said. "It's after eleven!"

"Time sure flies in paradise," he returned, stretching in his chair as well. His back and shoulders screamed from that plane ride. He winced slightly, rubbing his shoulder.

"I'm getting up early and checking out this pool out back," Scully said, yawning. "But for now I'm heading to bed."

She got up and grabbed her plate and Mulder's, heading inside to the kitchen.

Mulder was left alone outside to think about their first evening.

It was truly a miracle how things were going. It was like everything was evolving on its own. Things were so comfortable. It seemed so natural to be with Scully on a personal level. He wanted more. Mulder wondered how much longer he was going to keep his feelings to himself.

Interrupting his thoughts, Scully poked her head out the sliding glass door.

"Mulder I'm going up to bed," she said, her voice giving away her sleepiness. "Are you coming up soon?"

"I'll be up there in a few minutes," said Mulder, getting up. "I'm going to finish cleaning up the grill and then I'll be up."

Scully closed the sliding glass door, padding up the stairs.

First stop was the bathroom. She washed her face, brushed her teeth, and did all the other nightly duties that made Dana Scully, Dana Scully.

She then headed into the bedroom, over to her suitcase, searching for pajamas. She then realized that she had forgotten to bring pants or shorts to sleep in, all she had was her tank top she slept in.

Oh this ought to be good, she thought to herself, as she was changing. Mulder is going to get in bed and I'm going to be in my underwear.

Much to Scully's dismay, she heard Mulder's heavy footsteps on the stairs and she became very timid, standing there in her panties and tank top.

Just as Mulder opened the door, she hopped in bed, quickly getting under the covers.

She pretended to be sleeping, hiding her head under the covers but keeping a space clear so she could see what was going on.

Mulder walked over to his suitcase, pulling off his t-shirt and taking off his jeans, leaving him clad only in a grey set of boxer briefs which made Scully's heart begin pounding and lower half begin tingling with excitement.

She watched him as he fold up his clothes and straightened his things up. Her focus lay specifically on his large hands. As he used them she wondered what it would be like for those hands to touch her. To feel those masculine hands run over her bare stomach and go lower and lower...

Mulder closed his suitcase and looked back at the bed. He could have sworn he heard Scully make a noise similar to a moan.

He paused for a moment, pondering this notion. Mulder dismissed this as just wishful thinking from a perverted mind, and climbed into bed with her, wanting so badly to grab her waist and pull her close.

He refrained, of course, and he and Scully both drifted off into a peaceful sleep.