Title: Smoky Mountain Folk, chapter 7

Author: Andrea

Rating: NC-17

Category: X-File, MSR, Mulder POV

Disclaimer: Mulder and Scully aren't mine, but everyone else is.

Notes: Thanks to Dan, Mimic and Karen for beta reading.

Spoilers: thru season 6.

Feedback: Please!

Bryson City, NC

April 9, 1999

6:55 am

When I woke up Thursday morning, Scully was no longer in bed with me. I found her in the bathroom, already showered. I'm not sure what she was thinking. She'd known me for six years. She must have had an inkling about my sexual appetite. It wasn't like I kept it a secret. I knew by the time I was done saying good morning she would definitely need another shower.

Her still-damp hair was combed away from her face and she was putting her make-up on, leaning toward the mirror. She was clad only in her bra and panties and the way she was bending made her rear end jut out tantalizingly; not that I needed any inducement.

My 'good morning' began with a caress to her bottom and ended with her head and shoulders against the bathroom mirror as we shared shuddering orgasms. On top of the vanity wasn't a Scully-approved position, but she hadn't said a word – about that, anyway. There were plenty of yeses, oh Gods and Mulders - my personal favorite - called out. There were also many numerous sounds that weren't words which were music to my ears. Scully may not have been able to carry a tune, but the way she moaned rocked my world.

Since Scully had to shower again, she agreed to let me shower with her, despite my ankle. I knew she was all the support I needed. I would've liked to spend more time naked and soapy with her, but there was a limit to how long I could stand on one leg. Once we were dry, Scully inspected and rewrapped my ankle. She told me it was healing nicely. In spite of our extra curricular activity we still had time for a fairly leisurely breakfast before it was time to leave for Yellow Creek.

The haze that gave the Smoky Mountains their name was still clinging to the trees as we drove toward Ted Johnson's place. The sun was doing its best to burn off the fog, its rays diffusing through the mist. Where it managed to break through, it lit up the droplets left by the watery suspension like a prism.

"Mmm." I sighed.

"What?" Scully's eyes flicked over at me.

"It looks nice, the mist." I was draped over the passenger seat, feeling quite relaxed.

She hunched a bit to peer through the windshield at the fog. "It's really the volatile organic compounds that make it spectacular," she said offhandedly and then turned her attention back to the road.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, they stop the water from burning off quickly."

"So, you're saying it's pollution?"

"No, not at all." She shook her head vigorously. "The VOCs are naturally occurring; generated by the trees. It's a natural phenomenon."

"It's kind of eerie."

"You just said it looked nice." I could see her forehead furrowing. I was going to give the woman premature wrinkles.

"The sun was breaking through the clouds when I said that. Now it's become thicker, rolling in on itself, like it's trying to surround us."

"It's not cognizant, Mulder. There is probably a direct correlation between the thickness of the fog and the density of a specific type of tree."

"It's still kind of –" I paused for effect, "spooky."

"I'd call it annoying." She ignored my attempt at humor.

"Annoying?" I straightened up to look at the road. The visibility had gotten worse, but it didn't seem bad enough to be a problem. "Why?"

"It makes my hair frizzy."

I chuckled as I resumed my sprawled out position. Scully joking with me made a pleasant warmth spread over me.

"Why do you straighten it? It looks nice curly." I focused my attention on her.

"Freckles and curly red hair? Really, Mulder, do you need to ask?" She looked at me in disbelief.

"Umm." I hesitated, not sure what she was getting at.

"You've seen me with no make-up and my hair curly. How old do I look?"

"Kinda young, I guess."

"Yeah, kinda." She rolled her eyes at me. "Does that answer your question?"

"Yeah, you're the only woman I know who wants to look older." I shifted my ass so that I was leaning half against the door. I didn't have to turn my head to look at her.

"Not older, just my actual age." She looked over at me. "What are you doing?"

"Enjoying the view." I kept my voice low. "I assume I'm allowed that luxury now."

"Mulder!" Her cheeks shone pink, even through her make-up.

I was about to expound upon what a luxury it really was when Scully gasped, took her foot off the gas and swerved onto the shoulder as a deer skittered in front of us. She'd obviously paid attention during our mandated defensive driving courses. No sooner had the deer safely made it to the other side of the road when two cars emerged from the mist, side by side, definitely exceeding the speed limit.

After they'd roared past us, Scully turned to look at me wide-eyed. "If that deer hadn't –" She put a shaky hand to her chest.

"I know." I let out the breath I'd been holding. "That was weird."

"I might say lucky." Scully cocked her head at me. "I don't know if I'd say weird."

"Definitely lucky. Weird because deer are crepuscular."

"Crepuscular?" Both of her eyebrows were raised.

"They only come out to feed at dawn and dusk. Dawn was almost five hours ago."

"Crepuscular?" A smile was twitched at the corners of her mouth.

"Indian guide," I reminded her. "And the memory doesn't hurt."

"Okay." She shook her head slightly. "And deer being crepuscular is significant because -?"

"Because dawn was a while ago," I repeated.

"Mulder, all that happened was something startled the deer and made it run out in front of us. That's why it was lucky." She looked over her shoulder and pulled out onto the road.

I didn't say anything because for once I wasn't sure if I actually believed what I was considering. It seemed to me that someone or something was watching out for us. Scully might not argue about having an angel on her shoulder, but I knew how she'd react to the suggestion that it might be a different winged being perched there.

I had made this trip in the hope that I could actually document the existence of fairies. Aside from everything else Scully meant to me, having her there to lend scientific credence to anything I might find was something I don't think Blevins, in his short sightedness, had actually considered. I knew Scully didn't believe that fairies existed, despite what she'd said about how hard it would be to catch one if they did. There was little doubt in my mind how she would react to the suggestion that one or both of us had a fairy godmother, for lack of a better term.

"Why so quiet?" Scully asked as she turned onto Yellow Creek Road. "I hope you aren't holding back because things between us have changed."

"No, I'm holding back because what I'm thinking is far-fetched, even for me."

I wasn't sure which one of us was more surprised by that admission. I certainly hadn't meant to say it out loud. Scully's eyebrows almost reached her hairline.

"If you don't believe it, I really need to know what it is."

"I'm not saying I don't believe it. It's just out there," I admitted.

"Just tell me."

"I think maybe one or both of us is being protected."

"Protected? By what? And if it's you, they really suck at it, judging by your ankle."

"By fairies and maybe it's just you." I shrugged.

"Could you please pick one theory and stick with it?" She sighed impatiently. "First they're pranksters and now they're protecting me?"

"Could you please explain wave particle duality to me, Scully?"

"Saying that light can behave both like a particle and a wave is hardly the same thing as saying fairies can be tricksters and guardians. Those things are opposites."

"So are waves and particles. And who says fairies can't be playful on the one hand and caring on the other? Why do they have to be one dimensional?"

"I don't even know why I'm arguing about this." She shook her head.

"Is this an argument? I thought this was a discussion," I remarked placidly.

"Okay." She took a long slow breath. "Let's say fairies exist."

"Haven't we had this conversation already?"

"Work with me here, Mulder."

"You already know I don't have any issues with that concept."

"So if they do exist, you're right, they could be multifaceted creatures."

"Have I ever told you how absurdly happy it makes me to hear you say I'm right?" I squirmed a little in my seat.

"Shut up, Mulder. I'm not finished."

I closed my mouth and blinked innocently at her. Her eyes were fixed intently on the road, so I doubt she noticed.

"Why would these complex mystical beings want to protect me?"

"If I had all of the answers, we wouldn't be out here investigating."

"That's a cop-out, Mulder. You must have a reason to think that."

I noticed the car was beginning to slow down. I looked up to discover we were almost to the Johnson house.

"I don't think it's outside the realm of possibility that someone might want to protect you, Scully." I told her as she turned into the driveway.

"So the fairies want to protect me because you're in love with me?" She sounded amused as she turned off the ignition.

"Maybe they have particularly good taste." I reached into the backseat for my crutches.

"I'll get them." She released her seatbelt.

While she hurried around the car, I undid my seatbelt and opened the door.

By the time she'd retrieved them, I had both of my feet on the driveway. Before she handed them to me, she surprised my with a soft kiss.

"I love you, too," she murmured.

I didn't get a chance to reciprocate. She straightened up quickly and moved out of my way. I was in the process of scooting my butt off the seat when Ted Johnson's voice startled me.

"Good morning, Agent Scully."

I saw surprise register on her face. It was barely perceptible. Most people wouldn't even have noticed.

"Mr. Johnson." She smiled at him.

"Agent Mulder." Ted nodded at me. "I hear you took a bit of a tumble."

"A bit." I chuckled ruefully.

"I went out and had a look. That was quite the sink hole, but what were you doing way over there? That was a good distance west of where I left you."

"I guess we got a little off course." Scully gave him a forced smile.

"We never found that gully. I'd still like to see it," I let him know as I hauled myself up.

"But not today," Scully said. "Maybe tomorrow if that ankle looks better."

Ted looked at Scully and then at me, obviously unsure of what to make of our dynamic.

"My personal physician." I nodded toward Scully.

"Sometimes I wonder if that wasn't the real reason I was partnered with you." She rolled her eyes at me. "To take some of the burden off the Bureau's health insurance carrier."

"You've been in the hospital more than I have, or at least the same amount of time," I countered as I began to crutch my way away from the car.

"Let's use the side door." Ted pointed out its location. "Less stairs that way."

Scully closed the car door behind me and then fell in beside me. When I met her eyes, she gave me a questioning look. I knew she was wondering if Ted had seen her kiss me. I gave her the best shrug my crutches would allow.

We spent about an hour in Ted's darkroom. We looked at his chemicals; they weren't past their expiration dates. We checked his film. It was fine too. He talked and walked us through the process. When he was done, I knew more about developers, stop baths, fixers and wetting agents than I'd ever wanted to, but nothing he showed us led me to believe that anything in his darkroom could've produced the images we'd seen in Amy's pictures. There was still one other way besides outright forgery that might have created those images. If I didn't rule it out, Scully would never let me hear the end of it.

"Mr. Johnson, I was wondering if you would consider letting us borrow the camera that Amy took those pictures with?"

"For how long? Amy loves that camera."

"Assuming Doc Scully gives me the go-ahead to check out the gully tomorrow, just until I take a few rolls of film with it."

"I guess that would be okay," Ted acquiesced. "And tomorrow I should have time to walk you all the way in."

"We would really appreciate that." Scully relaxed immediately.

I knew then that I'd be allowed to go back tomorrow. Scully was already pleased with the way I was healing and now she knew we wouldn't get lost again.

"And could I trade you some film?" I continued. "So I can use some from the lot Amy used and then I'll buy some and make sure it's from a different lot."

"Okay," Ted agreed hesitantly, apparently confused.

"Just using different permutations and combinations to ensure we've covered every possibility," Scully explained.

"And what is any of this going to tell you?" His question was directed at Scully.

"It will tell us if the images on the film were created by some other means," she answered him.

"You think she faked them." It wasn't a question.

"We're trying to make sure it wasn't some combination of the film and camera that resulted in those pictures." I interjected. "I don't think Amy faked anything."

"I didn't mean to imply she had, Mr. Johnson," Scully told him sincerely.

"We can't leave any room for doubt," I added.

"I'm sorry." Ted's eyes were downcast. "I'm just worried that she's going to be labelled as a kook."

"I think a healthy imagination is a good thing," Scully assured him. "I doubt anyone thinks she's a kook."

"A healthy imagination," Ted nodded, happy with that explanation. "I had quite the imagination when I was her age."

We left Ted Johnson feeling somewhat better and headed back to Bryson City. We'd arranged to meet him the following day at 1:30. It was lunch time when we arrived in town. After another meal in a diner, Scully insisted that we buy some groceries. I took that opportunity to buy the film I wanted and a few other things. Scully raised an eyebrow at the can of whipped cream, maraschino cherries and the chocolate syrup I picked, and then rolled her eyes at me when I said it was for dessert. Once back in my room, Scully called Skinner to let him know how I was doing and how the case was progressing. Then she opened her laptop to add notes to the case file about our visit to Ted's darkroom. When she was done, I had her to myself again.

It was then she found out that she was dessert; the whipped cream, maraschino cherries and chocolate syrup her topping. I'd actually expected her to be much harder to convince, but as it turns out, Dana Scully is every bit the hedonist that I am. My cock throbbed as she stripped, laid down on the bed and smiled up at me, waiting for me to begin. It took every ounce of my willpower not to throw myself on top of her right away. Well, my ankle injury may have slowed me down a little, too.

I began by transforming her breasts into my version of an ice cream sundae. First covering them with whipped cream, making her shiver at its coolness, I proceeded to drizzle chocolate syrup over each peak. I finished by topping each nipple with a cherry. It took me almost half an hour to finish eating both. Her belly became a crepe, and as I moved lower, I suddenly wished I bought a banana. Scully seemed to enjoy the banana-less split I created, none the less, judging by how hard she came.

Finally, I could wait no longer. I kissed my way back to her mouth, perhaps the most luscious part of the delicacy that is Scully and had my fill. I didn't rush my final course, the one I shared with her. The way she quaked around me told me that she treasured this last indulgence as much as I did.

At the end of my sweet treat we were both very sated and very sticky, leading to Scully's third shower of the day.

We stayed in for supper, just making sandwiches with the food Scully had bought. Then it was her turn to choose dessert. She opted for peanut butter on a stick; my stick.

It seemed Scully had learned her lesson Thursday morning, and was still in bed with me when I woke up around 9 on Friday . We had plenty of time to make slow, sensuous love. When I finally released into her, my powerful orgasm also triggered a flood of emotions and she held me tightly, caressing my back as I professed my love to her over and over.

It was past noon Friday when we left for Yellow Creek. The haze had burned off so we were able to enjoy a sunny spring drive. Scully often complained about the amount of time we spent stuck in cars, but to me, nothing was more liberating than the open road on a nice day. Having the woman of my dreams as my driver only added to my sense of bliss.

"What was that sigh for?" Scully smiled at me. "No mist today."

"I'm just having an 'all is right with the world' kind of moment," I explained, although I hadn't realized that I'd sighed.

"One of those moments where you're so happy it feels like your heart is swelling?" she asked softly.

"Yeah." I nodded, feeling an overwhelming rush of emotions surging within me again. "Like it might burst."

"Me too." She reached for my hand. I took her proffered hand and held it tightly.

We said nothing more. Scully took her hand back to make the turn toward Yellow Creek, but reached out for me again immediately. As her fingers entwined around mine, I was positive there was no luckier or happier man in the world.

We arrived fifteen minutes early at the spot Ted had shown us Wednesday. There was quite a bit of equipment to carry up the hill. I had three cameras, extra lenses for all three and copious amounts of film, even though one of the cameras was digital. Scully ended up carrying all three camera bags. Whenever I tried, the cameras kept banging into my crutches. I carried our water.

When Ted arrived he told us it normally would take around half an hour to reach the gully, but my crutches would likely make it a little longer. Scully raised an eyebrow at me when Ted was speaking. We'd obviously gotten off course very early on in our original attempt. Apparently she loved me enough not to say anything in front of Ted.

It was slow going for the first couple of minutes, but I quickly discovered that if I angled my body to match the slope of the mountainside, I could better keep my balance and we started making some actual headway. Scully stayed with me and listened as I told her my plans. I'd talked to Chuck Burks before we left D.C. and he'd given me some advice about different film speeds and f-stops to try. Chuck and I had reasoned that fairies may be as difficult to capture on film as ghosts, so having the camera set up properly was crucial.

"That may be why there are so few pictures of fairies," I told her as I looked up the hillside at Ted. He was fifty feet or so ahead of us.

"Almost there," he called down.

"Speaking of fairies, Mulder, look at –" Scully's voice stopped abruptly.

When I turned toward her, she wasn't there.

My mind whirled.

Where could she have gone? She'd just been there; right beside me.

"Scully?" I spun around as fast as I could on my crutches. She wasn't there.

"Scully!" I yelled as I scanned the trees frantically.

I could hear Ted running down the hill toward me.

"Scully!" I screamed as I collapsed to the ground.

End chapter 7