Chapter 7: As Long As You Love Me.
Mulder's Apartment
2nd of July '94.
...
How you got me blind is still a mystery. I can't get you out of my head.
Don't care what is written in your history. As long as you're here with me
Don't care who you are or where you're from or what you did,
As long as you love me.
~ Sleeping At Last, As Long As You Love Me
...
Scully awoke slowly, her eyes adjusting to the bright morning sunlight streaming in through the curtains, illuminating Mulder's bedroom with pale light. She turned on her side, immediately noticing the strong arm that had wrapped tightly around her. Mulder must have reached out for her in his sleep, for some reason though this thought doesn't seem particularly strange or scary, just natural as if it was just another simple fact of the universe.
It wasn't until after this had registered that Scully noticed something else odd about Mulder. A certain appendage of his seemed to have hardened in sleep and rose to meet her at the back of her thigh. His steely member rested against her upper thigh, near her rear end. She shifted slightly, feeling a little awkward about this new development despite the fact that her body felt like a coiled spring, desire reaching from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. She wanted Mulder but she knew she mustn't do anything about that. He might not feel as she does, it would possibly be the end of their friendship.
She moved just enough so she wasn't leaning against him in the same way as before when his errection was poking her firmly. It felt extremely wrong to be feeling these things for Mulder while he wasn't even conscious. Scully tried to put any thought of Mulder's erected body part out of mind, to focus on something else. Her lust was not something to be paid attention to right now no matter how tempting it was.
She took in the sight of her friend who seemed to be sleeping soundly beside her, his soft snores breaking the early morning silence. 'That's weird', she thought to herself, 'Mulder always said he wasn't a sound sleeper'. She took in the morning sight of Mulder from his tossed looking brown hair and his wrinkled Oxford basketball shirt. He looked so much more peaceful in sleep, as if his face was free of the pain that he usually carried in his hazel eyes when he was awake. He looked so much more vulnerable, lacking all of the walls he usually put up by masking his true feelings with humour and sarcasm. She reach out and gently brushed his hair out of his eyes, soft enough not to wake him.
He's a handsome man, yes. Scully had always known this, from the moment she first laid eyes on him she had certainly found him attractive but what she was now feeling was emotions of a whole different scale.
His large frame wrapped around her, making his body feel twice as large as usual and making her feel twice as small as usual. Somehow she didn't feel uncomfortable about this though, it felt nice to feel vulnerable every so often, so long as you knew the other person wouldn't take advantage of you for it and Scully trusted Mulder implacably. Relationships were complicated enough as it is, the person being your friend and colleague just makes it worse.
Scully tried to convince herself that she was remaining in Mulder's embrace so she wouldn't wake him, which was true but there also was that warm pool of comfort building up inside of her and it was all because of the man sleep soundly beside her. It had been a while since Scully had woken up in the arms of a man and usually it had been because she had slept with him the night before. But never had she woken up in the arms of someone she loved as much as she loves Fox Mulder. In that moment she realised she never had or never would have that feeling with anyone other than him.
They may have only shared the bed (as promised) last night but the act in itself still felt intimate and it scared the hell out of her. He may be her best friend but in this moment Scully truly realises that she loves him in every sense of the word. She knew that it was highly inappropriate to feel this way about a man who was her closest friend and colleague let alone the fact he might never feel the same way.
Scully thought carefully about what Mulder's type of romantic partner usually was. From what he had described all the women he had dated in the past were tall bitchy brunettes, none of which Scully was. She thought about his reaction to her suggesting they share the bed last night. Had she seen lust in his eyes or was that just wishful thinking. She knew last night that she wanted him. Hell, she has known for moths that she wanted him and it wasn't just lust either. She wanted him to make love to her and to make love to him in return.
Scully tried to assure herself that she was quite happy just being friends with Mulder. She was quick to decide that she wouldn't sort out any of her issues right now while she was lying in Mulder's bed in one of his Knicks baseball shirts.
Scully turned in his arms, careful not to wake him before reading the time from the alarm clock on the bedside table. The neon green figures shone brightly from the clock face. '5.45', it read. Scully sighed, dropping her head back on to the pillow. 'I may as well get another hour or so', she mused taking one last look at her surroundings from the sleeping face of her best friend to the bright looking morning out side the window and back again before the tempting tendrils of sleep pulled her under once again.
The last thing she remembered was the feeling of his warm breath on her neck that made her skin tingle pleasantly, making her body come to life and the musky smell of Mulder's cologne which had become considerably less powerful then the night before, in fact she liked it better that way.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Some time later Mulder woke up, he quickly glanced around the room, his eyes falling from Scully's neatly piled clothes on his dressing table to his red headed best friend who was sleep beside him. He looked down at how their bodies were positioned, his body spooning around her's, their arms wrapped around each other. It was intimate, it was spontaneous, it was unconscious, it was instinctive and to Mulder it was perfect. He wondered vaguely what Scully would think of this situation or if she would think of it at all. Would she be repulsed if she found their bodies had somehow become entangled during sleep. Would she be embarrassed? He was almost certain she would be.
It wasn't until then that Mulder stopped focusing on Scully and realised something about his own body. He looked downwards, noticing the tent pitched in his boxer shorts. 'Fuck', he mumbled in frustration. He managed to keep his voice low though, so as not to wake Scully up. He thanked whatever God there was that he had woken up before her.
Mulder didn't want her finding out he had feelings for her in this way. He wanted her to know that he truly wanted her, all of her and it wasn't just a bodily reaction or a primal instinct to them sleeping in such a close proximity. Mulder tried to put all thought of Scully out of his mind and focus on something unpleasant, that just might be enough to stop the blood rushing to 'little Mulder'.
Mulder looked out the window, forcing all thought of Scully out of his mind by imagining a naked Skinner followed by a naked Frohike. He looked downwards, relieved that his errection was now calming down. He sighed, relaxing back into the mattress after about twenty minutes of his thought process.
Mulder took in the sight of his sleeping companion, watching how her chest rose and fell in accordance with her even breathing. She seemed relaxed, at peace even. He smiled slightly, realising he had just described Scully as being relaxed. Being relaxed meant that a person was comfortable and at home somewhere, something Mulder doubted Scully felt in his bed. He watched her, willing his photographic memory to memorise every little detail about her petite sleeping form. To Mulder she was perfect, from her stubbornness, to her fierceness to her flaming red hair.
He knows now without a shadow of doubt that he loves her with all of his being. He knows that he has never found this kind of relationship depth with anyone but her. She's the strongest person he knows and he would do anything for her.
For the first time since Mulder had met her he realised that Scully could look vulnerable and she looked so in sleep. For the first time he saw his usually fiercely independent best friend as something breakable and his every instinct was to protect her with his life even though he knew even entertaining the notion was the height of folly. If anyone could look after themselves it was Dana Scully. He respected that and knew that even though Scully may not feel for him romantically as he did for her, she was just as protective of his well being.
The sight of her sleeping by his side made Mulder realise how much he wanted this, how much he wanted her and a life together where they could sleep in together every Sunday morning and it would be perfectly normal. A life where he could act on impulse and kiss her when ever he wished and she could do the same without ever having to worry if it would destroy their relationship. A life where she would want him to kiss her and to make love to her each night and it would be natural, like the world going around, like the sun rising in the east and setting in the west.
Mulder tucked his head back into her shoulder, breathing in the scent of her shampoo from her hair. He didn't mind that her red hair got everywhere, in fact he liked it better that way.
...
Every little thing that you've said and done
Feels like it's deep within me. Doesn't really matter if
We're on the run seems like we're meant to be
I don't care who you are or where you're from or what you did
As long as you love me
~Sleeping At Last, As Long As You Love Me
...
XXXXXXXXXXXX
The sun was high in the sky and his bedroom was now full of light when Mulder awoke for the second time. He looked over at the clock on his bedside locker, briefly disentangling himself from Scully to see over his own shoulder. '9.20am', it read, the neon light coming from it looking back at him almost shamefully. "Shit", he mumbled quietly to himself. Mulder never usually slept in this late and from what he knew neither did Scully. He looked downward making sure he was presentable enough to face Scully without any kind of awkwardness and sure enough 'little Mulder' had decided to behave himself. Mulder breathed a sigh of relief.
He rolled back over on his side, facing Scully once again and gently brushed her cheek with his palm. He watched her for a second, his efforts not having worked. 'Strange', he thought to himself. 'That usually does the trick'. Mulder shook her shoulder causing her to wake up immediately.
Scully groaned and turned away from him and the light that was streaming in the window. "Mulder, what time is it". Mulder chuckled slightly, pulling the duvet off of her. "9.20, sleepy head".
Scully looked up at him grumpily. "You were asleep too".
Mulder smiled, enjoying grouchy morning Scully. "Guilty as charged".
Scully smiled despite herself, she liked this side of Mulder. A Mulder who was cheerful in the mornings when she wasn't. She glanced downward to his boxer shorts quickly, glad that they wouldn't have an awkward moment where they both couldn't help but notice 'little Mulder' standing in salute. She hoped he didn't notice he glanced downwards, that would be hard to explain with embarrassing both of them.
"Mulder, I thought you said that you never needed sleep".
Mulder shook his head. "I don't but that isn't to say I'm not in a better mood when I do", he paused for a second they both were now looking around the room, slightly uncomfortable as to what should happen from here.
"Crap", Scully muttered, sitting up in bed and slapping her head as she remembered. Mulder looked over, concerned for his friend. "What's up, Scully?".
"I'm supposed to meet my mom for lunch after morning mass".
"What time did you say you would meet her", Mulder asked, knowing mass couldn't have been on so early that Scully would have missed the meeting with her mother despite not having gone to any kind of religious event since Samantha's funeral when he was twelve.
"At noon. Mulder, I better get going if I going to be home to shower and change before going to meet Mom".
"You can shower here", Mulder offered, nodding towards the bathroom just off of his bedroom. "I'll make breakfast".
She shook her head slightly. "I've intruded enough already. You have your own life".
Mulder smiled to himself. "You're my best friend, Scully and my guest. I'm cooking you breakfast", he said finally, watching as her face softened slightly before she put back on the 'I'm Dana Scully and I take no prisoners' facade.
Scully looked at him sceptically. "You can cook, Mulder?".
He shrugged. "I may live a bachelor's life style but I know how to feed myself", he told her and it was true, to a point. He did know how to cook he just never exercised his ability. It was far easier to just pick up the phone or grab a coffee on the way to work.
"And here was I thinking you ate cold Chinese food from the night before for breakfast", she said with a smile, watching how he responded to the accusation she knew was very damn accurate.
Mulder smirked, knowing how close she was to the truth. "Jeeze Scully, have a little faith that I can make pancakes and cold Chinese food gives a man character".
"I'll have to see it before I believe it, Mulder", Scully told him with a matching smirk in his direction as she headed for the bathroom, shaking her about his comment on men and Chinese food.
"You're on, Scully", Mulder said with a short laugh because how hard can making a couple of pancakes be.
"Oh and Mulder..", Scully said from the bathroom door as she picked up a towel from the rack beside the bath. "Thanks for everything", she said retreating into the bathroom before shutting the door.
Mulder smiled goofily. "Anytime, Scully", he called out to her through the door before pulling on some pants and heading to the kitchen. A bet was a bet and Mulder really hated losing against Scully. Mulder tried to focus his mind on pancakes but his thoughts kept drifting away to lands that he knew were not exactly foreign but they were secret, the one true secret he kept from Scully.
He thought back to how he had woken up earlier on, spooning Scully with 'his little friend' pressing against her quite noticeably. He hope she hadn't noticed it or woken up before he did. Mulder had dreamt of her the night before as he often did but waking up next to her with proof that he had been having errotic dreams was another story all together. Mulder wanted to follow her into the bathroom, sweep her off her feet and carry her into the bedroom to show her just how passionate a lover he could be. He wouldn't though, doing such a thing would loose him Scully's friendship and trust and that meant more to Mulder than anything. It wasn't worth the risk. This is what he told himself so often it had become a mantra.
Meanwhile Scully turned on the shower. She waited as the water warmed up, her minding drifting back to when she had woken up at 6.45. She felt herself shiver slightly and it had nothing to do with the cold tiles on the bathroom floor and much more to do with the pang of desire that rocketed through her, making her ache for the man who was always just going to be her best friend.
Scully had told herself this over and over again but something in her always gave these thought oxygen, perhaps it was the part of her that would follow Mulder to the ends of the earth and back again, perhaps it was the fact they spent most days in each others company. Perhaps it was the fact she knew that he eyes linger on him longer than was friendly. Perhaps it was the fact she often found him doing the same when he thought she wasn't looking or perhaps it was the fact she woke up in his arms that morning , finding herself being spooned by him with his morning errection pressing against her thigh and the whole situation felt like the most natural thing in the world, as if they had just woken up from a night of love making. Only they hadn't.
She to fight the irrational part of herself that wanted noting more than to open the damn bathroom door and invite Mulder to share the shower with her. She tossed the thought away as irrational and probably an act that would have her loose her best friend.
...
Though I've tried before to tell her
Of the feelings I have for her in my heart
Every time that I come near her I just lose my nerve
As I've done from the start
Every little thing she does is magic
Everything she do just turns me on
Even though my life before was tragic
Now I know my love for her goes on
~ Sleeping At Last, Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
...
XXXXXXXXXXXX
"This is actually not that bad. Mulder, I'm impressed", Scully said with a smile as she looked down at her empty plate that previous had a stack of pancakes and maple syrup.
"Piece of cake", Mulder said smugly, not having let her anywhere near the dustbin where there was a half batch of raw and burnt pancakes that had either been flipped too early or too late. "And you didn't have any faith in me", he told her dramatically.
"Don't be such a drama queen, Hamlet. And yes, Now I'm very proud of you and your cooking skills", she said jokingly, taking a sip of her coffee. Mulder grinned, downing the rest of his own morning caffeine fix as the sound of the morning radio filled the kitchen air that already smelled of coffee, pancakes, Nutella and maple syrup.
The usual news reporter was currently p rattling on about all of the crappy unfortunate happenings that had taken place in the area over the past few days not to mention the current political state of America, such pressing thoughts for so early in the morning. The reporter went on to remind people about the dangers of illegal firework displays and safety regulations for barbecues that would surely be taking place due to the annual American holiday that was coming up early the following week.
"What are you doing on the Fourth of July, Mulder?", Scully asked casually. He mother had called her earlier in the week to get her to invite Mulder to the annual Scully Family barbecue that seemed to attract the whole rather large family along with quite a sizeable group of family friends.
Mulder chuckled, not having much interest in the holiday, the day being like most other non-working days for him. "You asking me out, Scully?", he asked jokingly, wondering why she would ask him such a question, she knew he didn't celebrate national holidays let alone any other type of holidays.
Scully rolled her eyes, well used to his innuendos. "Not this time, Mulder", she told him sarcastically before continuing. "My mom asked me to invite you to the annual Scully barbecue".
"The Annual Scully Barbecue, wow what a title", Mulder mused with a chuckle before the thought of Bill Scully with a whole lot of fireworks and a very large chip on his shoulder. "Sounds dangerous", he said as an afterthought that was accompanied by a chuckle.
Scully looked at him, unamused. "You don't have to come if you don't want to, Mulder. I'm just offering".
Mulder considered it for a second before glancing across the table, feigning seriousness. "Scully, I don't think it would be physically safe for me to go anywhere near your childhood home on The Fourth of July".
"Why's that?", she asked, trying to cover up her amusement at his expression.
"It's the thought of your brother. With fireworks. A deathly weapon", he said with a half laugh, imagining a murderous Bill Scully armed with fireworks.
Scully rolled her eyes, unamused. "You're going, Mulder", she said tiredly. "My mother wants you there and...", she trailed off for a second wondering if should finish the sentence. "And so do I, besides..", she said with a snort. "I'll protect you".
He smiled, touched by her confession although he decided it to get best if he acted indifferently as it would give away less. "Scully, Independence Day is about celebrating our independence. And here was I thinking I lived in the land of the free".
Scully rolled her eyes, finishing her coffee. "Fine, Mulder. I was just offering", she picked up her handbag from under the table and her coat from the back of the chair, making her way to the door. "I'll see you later, Mulder. Thanks again for putting me up for the night".
Mulder followed her to the door, slightly ashamed he hadn't meant to hurt her feelings by refusing. He actually didn't mind the thought of going with Scully to one of the events her mother organised. It would certainly beat his last national holiday where he spent the day watching reruns of the ruder versions of Blackadder with The Gunmen.
"Hey Scully. I was just goofing around, of course I'll be there", he told her sincerely.
Scully shook her head. "Honestly, Mulder. You don't have to. I just thought I would make the offer if you're free".
"And I'm taking you up on the offer", Mulder said with a grin.
"Alright", she conceded. "I'll see you at my mother's house on Tuesday. Don't be late".
He chuckled softly. "Course not, Scully".
She was halfway down the hall when Mulder called out to her. "Fun sleepover, huh?".
Scully rolled her eyes at her friend's display of childishness. "A sleepover?, what are you six?".
Mulder laughed good-naturedly. "Six and a half actually, Scully".
...
I've tried to hide it so that no one knows
But I guess it shows
When you look in to my eyes
What you did and where you're coming from
I don't care, as long as you love me, baby
~ Sleeping At Last, As Long As You Love Me
...
On Tuesday morning excitement, freedom and the smell of barbecued meat as well as the promise of a pissed off Bill Scully was fresh in the air as Mulder drove his car down through the neighbourhood where Scully had spent her teenage years after the family settled down after spending years travelling from one naval Base to the next. It on the outskirts of town and there was a long line of nearly identical two storey houses on either side of the street.
As Mulder neared Mrs Scully's house he would have how be blind you notice all the cars outside the house. 'Must be one big family', he mused, parking in behind a navy coloured car he knew belonged to Charlie. Scully had told him the previous day that her mother had enlisted her help to prepare food for all the guests and would have arrived much sooner.
It wasn't long before Mulder had walked up the short drive and was outside the front door. He had been here before for one reason or another. Sometimes having dropped in with Scully to see Mrs Scully on the way to or back from somewhere else. He had always gotten on with Scully's mother very well and respected her a great deal especially after being with her as they both had to deal with Scully being in a coma after her car accident.
Mulder knocked on the door, feeling a bit awkward standing outside carrying a bottle of wine that he had picked up on the way. He waited until a familiar face came to the door, letting him inside.
Melissa opened the door dressed in her usual long and flowing fortunetelleresque clothing that was in royal blue and scarlet to celebrate the occasion. "Hey Fo..., I mean Mulder", she said, relieving him of the bottle of wine.
"Hey Melissa", Mulder greeted. They made small talk for a few minutes, their conversation ranging from work to reincarnation and other types of unexplained phenomena. The hallways was jam packed with people, the Scully's being very easy to pick out from the crowd due to their red hair. The rest of the guests were a mixture of neighbours and family friends. 'Seems like Mrs Scully has taken it upon herself to feed half of DC', Mulder muses, not voicing this out loud to Melissa.
"Mulder, when do you plan on telling Dana?", Melissa asks bluntly.
He had been wondering when the oldest Scully daughter would bring the topic up after having scolded him over four months ago for not telling Scully he loved her before he almost lost her to death. "I was wondering when you'd bring that up", Mulder said, deciding it was best not to play dumb. "You Scully women really don't beat about the bush. I'll give you that".
Melissa looked at him seriously, not amused. She did like Mulder, she really did. He seemed a lot better than the other guys that Dana had dated in the past. Melissa was concerned for her younger sister and on some level she was concerned for Mulder too. Melissa didn't want either of them to loose sight of the moon while counting the stars, life was too short for that kind of ignorance, too short to throw away a relationship with someone whose aura complements your own so perfectly.
Melissa had never personally experienced that kind of synchrony with anyone in her life yet. She hadn't seen anything quite like Dana and Fox's relationship since she first recognised the complimenting aura her parents had. Melissa almost envied Mulder and her sister for that. She knew her sister deserved it though the same way their parents did.
Melissa saw how saddened her mother's spirit had become after the death of her father. She knew that if you found a person like that in your life, a person that completes you in every possible way that that person is your soul mate, something that she be held on to for as long as you possibly have and to be never taken lightly. Melissa knew that she just had to give them a shove in the right direction. A gentle nudge of encouragement is all that it would take. Melissa had tried to give her sister that nudge of encouragement but Dana being Dana was too much of a sceptic to even listen, perhaps Mulder would.
"Mulder I mean it. You can't keep on bottling up emotions like this. It's not good for you or for Dana", Melissa told him seriously.
Mulder sighed. "To be honest with you, Melissa. My friendship with your sister means more to me than anything else and I wouldn't want to do anything to jeopardise that".
Melissa shook her head, knowing she had overstepped the line and it was best not to interfere anymore. "Just keep it in mind, Mulder".
He nodded, trying to hide the fact that such topics were always on his mind where Scully was concerned. "Sure". Melissa nodded with a tone of finality before heading over to catch up with one of her cousins in the far off corner.
"I'll see you later", she said.
"See you, Melissa", he agreed watching her walk away for a second before looking around the room in search of his favourite of the Scullys.
Just then Charlie walked over, after having seen Mulder with his oldest sister. The youngest Scully propped daughter up on his hip and headed over to see his sister's friend. The little girl squeaked slightly in protest but soon settled back into her father's arms.
"Hey Mulder. How are you?", he said grasping Mulder's shoulder in greeting. "I see Danes invited you over".
Mulder nodded. "Yeah she did", he said with a slight smile that didn't go unnoticed to the youngest Scully.
Charlie shook his head covertly. 'Damn, this guy has it bad', he mused, deciding not to pursue the subject. He wasn't going to interfere in his older sister's love life, admittedly he did this Mulder was a good guy and he did like him a lot better than Jack, Ethan and Daniel. Charlie was the only one of the Scully's who had met Daniel and he knew his sister was playing with fire at the time. He just regretted not having said anything to Dana before the shit hit the fan.
"How's work?", Charlie asked tossing him a beer when they got to the cooler.
"I'm off from school at the moment but I'm starting back teaching at the university next week. What about you?".
Charlie shook his head. "Same old, same old. A navy life for me".
Mulder nodded and motioned to the child in Charlie's arms. "This your kid, Charlie?".
He nodded smiling at his daughter. "This is Mary Margaret. She's called after mom".
The child looked up at Mulder with the signature electric blue Scully eyes. She had inherited her grandmother's dark hair though or perhaps her mother's. Mulder wasn't sure as he hadn't met Charlie's wife yet. "Hey kiddo", Mulder offered ruffling the little girl's light head of hair that was more like fluff. Mary Margaret giggled slightly before snuggling back into her father.
Mulder looked up to face Charlie once again. "Have you seen Scully around?". The fact that Mulder used Dana's last name didn't faze the youngest of Scully's brothers in the slightest as he had spent a bit of time with them the last time he was in DC to visit his family.
Charlie nodded, hiding his smirk and knowing look as he watched Mulder looked around for Scully in the crowded room. "I think she's with mom and Tara in the kitchen".
The two headed in the direction of the kitchen. "Make sure you get you're hands on some of mom's apple pie. It's the best", Charlie said as they entered the kitchen and sure enough Mrs Scully, Dana and Tara were inside putting the final touches on the food or more like Mrs Scully was giving her daughter and daughter-in-law the run down on Fourth of July meals.
Scully looked up from the oven, smirking at her brother. "Are you telling me, Charlie that you came in here for the food rather than to help us?".
Charlie rolled his eyes, looking from his sister to Mary Margaret who was growing steadily more impatient at the lack of attention. "No, Danes. I'm on baby duty", he said smiling down at his daughter. "And I brought you Mulder so I think that makes me your favourite brother either way", he laughed slightly at his sisters annoyed expression.
Scully looked over her brother's shoulder, sharing a smile with Mulder before turning back to an amused Charlie. Tara and Mrs Scully watched the two siblings banter with matching grins.
"Keep laughing Chuckles", Scully said, using Charlie's childhood nickname threateningly as telling people about the nickname was something she often held over Charlie's head ever since they were kids.
"You wouldn't", Charlie asked seriously.
"I would", Scully.
The two youngest Scully's continued their playful exchange as Mrs Scully went over to greet Mulder. The older woman smiled at him kindly. "How have you been, Fox", she asked with a kind of motherly concern Mulder wasn't exactly used to.
Mulder smiled. "I'm good. Thanks, Mrs Scully".
Charlie retreated after a few minutes, excusing himself as his wife was probably looking for him and Mary Margaret. He left the room Leaving Mulder with the Scully women.
Mulder made his way across the kitchen to Scully. "Hey", he said with a smile, tucking the hair that had fallen into her face earlier on behind her ear, he watched as her blue eyes crackled with electricity.
Scully smiled, glad that he had shown up. "Hey", she felt his hazel eyes pulling her in inwards like too endless pools that were so easy to drown in the depths of, drowning but free. They pulled out of their trance quickly enough before Mulder offered to help her with whatever she was doing, both hoping their moment had gone unnoticed by the others.
Mrs Scully beamed slightly, watching the pair. She knew it wouldn't be long now before one of them would pluck up the courage, if they hadn't already. She found that it was always better not to press her youngest daughter about things, that Dana was a stubborn woman and would tell her what was going on in her own time. Tara looked over at her mother in law asking an unspoken question. She genuinely wanted her sister in law to be happy even though her husband, Bill wasn't exactly Mulder's biggest fan. Tara looked outside the kitchen door to her husband who was deep in conversation with some distant relative.
...
"Thanks for coming", Scully said quietly to Mulder as they made their way out into the dining room after everything that had to be done was taken care of.
Mulder smiled, pulling her into a half hug. "Anytime, Scully", he replied watching her intently. She looked up, catching him in the act and their eyes locked, making them feel as separate from the rest of the room as though they were on another planet. Scully knew how easy it would be to reach up and capture his lips with her own, she wanted it more than anything else. He looked so laid back and relaxed, the whole moment seemed so perfect and domestic Scully was almost certain that it was a moment that could only belong to someone else. Mulder smiled sheepishly as his mind went into overdrive, he knew she was deep in thought and right now he just want her to share these thought with him, for her to show him how she felt. He wanted to share his own feelings with her so badly but Mulder didn't want to push her away.
She was the first to turn away, she pushed her thoughts back in line and faced her best friend once again. "Well, these parties usually end with in arguments by the time the nights up but I guess that's just how us Scully's are".
Mulder smiled, "I'm not surprised, you guys are an opinionated lot". It was true, Mulder could only imagine the arguments that must have gone on between Scully and Bill as kids and as angsty teens. Mulder knew perfectly well what it was like to be in Bill's bad books and knew from experience that Scully was a person who did not like her toes to be tread on.
"Hey". Scully said, joustling him slightly with a laugh. "You're opinionated too".
Mulder looked at her incredulously. "Am I?", he questioned playfully.
Scully nodded. "Yeah you are, remember that sub down at the middle school a few weeks back, what was his name...Mr Harwell".
He snorted slightly at the memory of the teacher who had sub who had briefly covered for Monica when she got sick during the mid stages of her pregnancy. Mulder didn't like him much. He knew right from when he met him that there was something crafty about him, clearly due to the fact he had buck teeth and a southern drawl that Mulder didn't trust rather than the fact that the guy clearly had a thing for Scully. "You mean Mr Bucky?", he asked playfully.
"He did not have buck teeth, Mulder", Scully told him for what seem like the tenth time.
"That guy clearly needed braces as a kid", Mulder said, certain.
"What's wrong with braces, huh?, I had them until the tenth grade".
Mulder shrugged. "Nothing", before smirking teasingly. "You got a picture of that, Scully?", he asked with a mischievous grin.
"I burnt them all", she deadpanned before a companionable silence fell, resting comfortably on their shoulders. It wasn't awkward in fact it was something peaceful. The whole room was alive with laughter and chatting but the pair felt as it they were alone. In a world all of their own.
"What the hell is he doing here?", a loud male voice declared loudly. Mulder and Scully turned to face whomever was addressing him, breaking the spell.
Bill Scully made his way across the crowded sitting room. His face was red and his eyes equally as fiery in appearance. It wasn't long before he was right beside Mulder, his anger breath hot on his face. His jaw was clenched, unrelenting. His fist collided with Mulder's stomach, to unexpected for Mulder to see the punch coming.
Scully looked at her brother, outraged. "He's here because I want him here and mom invited him". Her brother might be a thick, ignorant prick from time to time but the signature Scully temper was something they had both inherited from their father.
Mulder tried to ignore the pain in his abdomen as he spoke up, slightly breathless. "I don't want any trouble with you, Bill. I'm here for the party just like you" and he didn't, not really anyway.
Mulder understood Bill's protectiveness of Scully on some level. Mulder did have a younger sister for the first twelve years of his life after all and he did recall kicking a few bullies butts when he and Sam were kids. But those kids were pushing Samantha around, he was just being there for Scully as a good friend would. Yes, Mulder didn't understand Bill Scully even if it was on a very small level. He knew that they both cared deep for Scully and she for them, that might be the only thing that they have entirely in common.
On the other hand, what the hell was the guy thinking! You don't just come up and punch someone no matter how much of a chip on you shoulder you have. Mulder wouldn't stoop that low, nor did he want to start an argument with Bill or any of the Scullys. Even with a selective few vouching for his he would still be hopelessly outnumbered. Mulder may be called crazy due to some of his slightly eccentric beliefs but he wasn't completely insane.
Bill grimaced, still seething with anger at the man before him. He wasn't going to after him again though, not while Dana was standing between them. Bill couldn't believe she would stand up for Fox Mulder. A man who didn't give a damn about her, Bill was certain of this. A man who thought little enough of this family to go ranting about what Dana's wishes would be to her mother and siblings when she was in a coma. A man who had gotten deeply involved in personal family matters that concerned life or death.
Bill had take his concerns up with his mother, who told him off for wishing to poke around in his sister's personal life. Maggie had told him that Dana and Fox Mulder share a very special kind of friendship and that their relationship was a unique one. It seemed as though his mother actually liked the man, the idea repulsed Bill. It seemed to him that he was the only one who could see through Mulder's phoney 'Nobody likes me but I'm such a good guy' act.
Bill's suspicions of this were confirmed when he had asked Charlie and Melissa on their thoughts on Dana's choice of friends, both seemed to like Mulder quite a lot. Melissa had even gone as far to say that the two would be good as life partners. This made Bill feel even worse, the thought of such a man as a brother in law. He chalked it down as rubbish, it would never happen. When he asked Charlie his opinion the youngest Scully just shrugged saying that it wasn't really any of their business even if Mulder and Dana seem a bit on the close side for best friends. He had also said that he wouldn't be against Mulder and Dana being together, commenting that Mulder was contrary to Bill's beliefs, a nice guy.
Now today Bill had spotted his sister and Fox Mulder across the room chatting playfully. He didn't miss how close they stood to one another until they were entirely invading each other's personal spaces. He didn't miss how they casually touched one another while talking. Bill didn't like it. A small part of him feared that his sister had fallen in love with Fox Mulder, the rest of him pushed this thought aside as ridiculousness. He knew Dana was sensible, but when it came to Mulder it seemed to Bill as though his sister just plainly refused to see the truth. Damn that signature Scully family stubbornness.
Scully looked between Mulder and Bill with a mixture of concern and anger plastered of her face. The emotion respectively for each of the men. Just then Tara came rushing out of the kitchen, knowing her husband well enough to know that if their was to be an argument that he would be in the eye of the storm.
"Bill,darling. Maggie and I told you early on not to start anything with any of Dana's work friends", she said with a nod towards Mulder. Bill softened at the sight of his wife, looking between her and his sister. He wanted to saw more, to really take his argument to the moon and back, but he wouldn't at least for now. He threw Mulder one final dirty look before making his way over to his wife, who handed him their now six mother old son Matthew. "Look after Matt for a few minutes. Will you, Bill", she requested with a smile. He nodded gathering up the gurgling baby from his wife's arms. "Course, Sweetie".
Scully rolled her eyes at the changed demeanour of her oldest brother. "Typical", she muttered soft enough do only Mulder can hear. He chuckled quietly but regretted as soon as the excess breath it took to muster the laughter left his body. The spot on his stomach hurt quite a bit where Bill had clobbered him. Mulder grimaced slightly.
Scully looked at him, the concern evident in her expression. She didn't like to see him hurt no matter what. "Mom should have something for that in the bathroom upstairs", she told him.
Mulder tried to brush it off. Bill didn't get him too bad after all, he had gotten worse not that hadn't eventually gotten payback for that once he had grown into his body a little more, his long limbs becoming less awkward. He wasn't sure if that was the best thing to tell Scully right now though. They could delve into the adventures of fifteen year old Fox Mulder another time.
"It's fine, Scully. I'll live".
"Mulder, I insist. You'll end up with a nasty bruise tomorrow otherwise", she took him by the arm, leading him up the stairs. Mulder looked around curiously as they reached the top, never having been upstairs in Scully's childhood home before. He liked it, it suited her and what he knew of her family.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
...
Every little thing she does is magic
Everything she does just turns me on
Even though my life before her was tragic
Now I know my love for her goes on
~ Sleeping At Last, Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
...
Mulder stood awkwardly by the bathtub as Scully rooted around in the burnished white bathroom cabinet in search of cooling spray for his stomach. He watched as frustration took root on her face as she shovelled various bottles around in pursuit of the right one.
"Got it", she said triumphantly after a few minutes of searching. She held the bright blue spray can up to Mulder, he could sense her seriousness but could not help smirking when she spoke up.
"Mulder, take your shirt off", she asked concerned, without a hint of light-heartedness.
He smirked, coming close to her, almost dangerously close if they weren't so used to being in such close proximity. "Are you asking me to undress, Scully?", he asked, his voice dropping lower than usual. She tried to ignore what his voice fiddled to her when it was low like that, now wasn't the time. Mulder's injured.
"Only partially, don't get excited just yet", she told him dryly.
Mulder smirked, their bodies almost touching now. He ignored her previous comment. It was just too much fun. "And in your mother's house too, Scully..", he feigned shock. "Am I bringing out the teenage rebel in you, G-Woman".
Scully looked up at him scornfully but she couldn't help the fact blood was pounding in her ears, making it difficult to concentrate on Mulder's injured body rather than the prospect of his shirtless body. The atmosphere seemed to crackle unrelentlessly with suppressed electricity, the energy binding them together like a force much more powerful then magnetism but so similar. They were polar opposites but a perfect fit for one another. She wanted him now more than ever She thought she masked it relatively well because her seriousness seemed to beginning to rub off on him.
"You're demanding", he stated pouting slightly, his teasing smile fading. He lifts his hazel eyes, darker than usual to her's. Mulder grabs the hem of his white t-shirt. In one swift motion he pulls it over his head. They're close enough for Scully to almost feel the shirt coming off herself, she quickly adverts her gaze down to his chest, not trusting herself to looking into his eyes much longer without doing something irrational.
Mulder's eyebrows pull to the centre of his forehead, slightly confused by her reaction. He knew she didn't feel as he did but why would she react like that if she didn't. Mulder had noticed certain things about how she looked and acted around him as it of late. It was generally the same as always but there was something more intimate, more heated about her gaze when it lingered on him. Usually he just chalked it down it wishful thinking but what was happening now was too blatant to be a fantasy, right?
Scully's fingers brush over the angry red skin on his abdomen. She trusted Mulder with everything, everything she was, is and will be. This was a fact, something so true she could comprehend it perfectly. She grabbed at the spray tighter, pressing down on the defuser. The cooling mist lodged on his skin, Mulder hissed slightly at the sensation. He watched her, watched her expression. He tried to decipher her thoughts but he came back with nothing he could let himself believe in right now. He watched her and that only made him love her more. He saw something in her eyes as flicker that set him alight, giving him hope. He loves her.
Scully knew she wanted to prolonging touching him, but she was afraid of his bareness; afraid of how easy it would be to let herself become bare too. So bare in fact that there would no longer be a layer between them, nothing holding them back not the fear of losing their friendship or anything else. So bare that she would forget that he was another person, it would feel as if one was just another part of the other. It would no longer matter where one ended and the other began.
Scully mentally scolded herself, she wasn't some hormonal teenager who let her emotions run wild or who wasn't experienced enough to be confident of her own actions around a man she cared so completely about. Scully runs her hands over his broad, firm chest exposing the skin as if it was her own.
Mulder reached out the few final millimetres of barrier being ferociously pressed against until the bubble pooped leaving the pair free to roam. She reached up on tip toes, kissing him, she threaded her fingers through his soft brown hair as he cupped her face gently.
He sighed into her mouth, mumbling her name softly. Mulder picked her up off of the ground until their faces were level. They parted for a few seconds, breathing deeply, revelling in this new found pleasure. Scully drank in the sight of him bare chested, hazel eyed and brown hair slightly fluffy from her fingers. She loved him so much it hurt. Mulder smiled, one hand brushing lightly through her scarlet locks, the other stroking her chin. He loved how real and how right this felt now that it had finally happened between them.
He pressed his palms to her face, his index finger sliding behind her ears. Mulder merged their mouths once again. Scully heard herself moaning softly as she felt his tongue stroke her upper lip, pleading for entrance which she gave gladly. He tasted of beer, sunflower-seeds and something else entirely Mulder. He groaned quietly at the feeling of their tongues battling for dominance, they were both as stubborn as hell and neither would have an easy time winning that one.
Mulder moves his lips from Scully's, trailing kisses on the skin beneath her jaw. He was bending over quite a bit at this point but it didn't really matter. He tugs her closer if that was in any way possible. His touch is light, sensitive. A heavy warm feeling like spilling honey, fills Scully's body, slowing her thoughts. Mulder smiled goofily at her expression pulling back.
"You've no idea how long I've wanted to do that", he said with a smile so large it's splitting his face, his eyes alight with mischief, love and lust.
Scully grinned , hardly able to contain her own elation. "If you say a year and half, we're just as stubborn, pathetic and in sync as I think we are".
Mulder smiled down at her, lovingly. "You got it in one, honey".
She looked up, amused at the nickname. "Honey?", she questioned, teasingly.
He shrugged sheepishly, their bodies still entwined. "I was just trying it out for size".
Scully smiled, she always loved Mulder's sheepish half smiles. "I like it, baby", the words tumbled off easily, she hadn't even really planned them but she loved how it made his hazel eyes light up and deepen all at the same time.
Mulder chuckled, nuzzling her temple. He had never loved the cheesy nickname so much as he did when it rolled effortlessly off of her tongue. "Now I love the sound of that".
"Me too", she agreed, standing on tiptoes to seek out his lips once more. Mulder instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist to lift Scully upwards the few final but vital inches. She pulled him down slightly to gain better access to his mouth, his tongue gently grazing over her's before the kiss gradually became more ardent and demanding. Hands clung to clothing and dragged across exposed skin.
Mulder's hands roamed under her shirt. Scully felt tiny Sparks of electricity, crackling across her body like fireworks. She ran her hands along the waistband ofor his jeans, fumbling for Mulder's zipper.
Their temperatures soared in unison, every layer between them quickly becoming a barrier too much to be bared. Mulder ignore the jabbing pain in his abdomen as he pulled Scully's body tightly against his. This moment meant far too much to sacrifice it over a little pain, he wasn't going to let Bill Scully have that.
He fumbled slightly with the buttons of her shirt. Scully helped him with this without question. They both knew what they needed. He eased the material off of her shoulders letting it drop on the floor. Their bare upper bodies now firmly pressed together, skin on skin. They were one.
"You're so beautiful, you know that", Mulder said, taking her in his arms, watching her closely as they both panted due to their deprivation of oxygen. He looked down finding himself mesmerised as though Scully had put him in a trance, he always had been under her spell anyway. He belonged to her for longer than even he knew.
Scully smiled, tracing patterns on his chest, enjoying how his skin tingled unconsciously and little goosebumps popped up in the wake of her finger. She glanced across at his tastefully tanned body. Mulder was quite built, nicely so and his arms wrapped around her so completely, she knew this was where she belonged, in his arms, their bodies comfortably pressed together. "You're not so bad yourself".
Mulder smirked teasingly, his bravado firmly back in business. "So I've been told".
She rolled her eyes playfully as he chuckled softly at her expression, merging their lips once more. They were drunk on each other and they weren't sure if enough would ever be enough. All inhibitions released, they were totally honest not in words yet that would come later but in deed.
Their lips colliding, sliding over one another in perfect synchronisation, handing roaming over the other's bare torso. It felt right, it felt so damn good. How lucky they were to find their best friend and soul mate as the one person. Just then Mulder's phone decided it would be a perfect time to go off. The ring-tone echoing loudly in the bathroom, the guests chattering still audible down stairs, Mulder and Scully's breathing ragged but still in sync.
Mulder cursed against Scully's lips trying to ignore the tell tale ringing of the cell phone in his jeans pocket, it wasn't stopping or getting any quieter. Seriously, if that was one of The Gunmen Mulder vowed he would kill them later. Scully sighed against his lips pulling back. "You should take that, Mulder. It might be important".
He sighed, knowing she was right. "You were always the responsible one, Scully".
She shrugged. "We can't take it any further in here anyway. We are as you said earlier, in my mother's house", she pointed at the cell phone in his pocket that was now going berserk. "You better get that".
Mulder groaned softly, pulling out the phone. He didn't immediately recognise the caller ID or the voice. Scully picked her shirt up off of the ground, pulling it around her shoulders and doing up the buttons, the bathroom was starting to show how cold it truly was, the fact having been either ignore or irrelevant when her and Mulder were so close only moments before.
Mulder sat down on the edge of the bathtub, listening intently to whomever was speaking at the other end. 'Definitely not one of The Gunmen', Scully mused taking a seat next to him.
"Is this Fox William Mulder?", the voice asked from the other side. Mulder told him it was, "Who's this?", he asked. The voice seemed to have an air of command, something told Mulder that whatever this woman was going to tell him, he wasn't going to like it.
"Mr Mulder. I am Doctor Shanahan, I'm treating your mother in Greenwich General Hospital. We need her next of kin here immediately and you are the only one she has listed", the woman said all of this seriously, telling Mulder that anything she was going to say wouldn't be taken lightly.
"Is she okay?", Mulder asked, panic beginning to swell up in his chest. He picked up his t-shirt off of the floor, pulling it over his head.
"I'm afraid not, Mr Mulder. Your mother has just had quite a severe stroke and has been diagnosed with a serious terminal disease that we will tell you more about when he see you".
Mulder looked down at his watch, internally debating when the next flight out of Washington would be. "That won't be for at least a few more hour. I live in Washington, you see", his head was now pounding. His mother had a terminal disease. She was going to die. He couldn't comprehend this right now, he couldn't give up on his mother. Teen may not have been the best mother imaginable but she was his own, that meant something. They may not have gotten on too well, never really seeing eye to eye after Samantha was killed but she still needed him now.
"We'll tell you more when we see you", she finished, it was obvious from her time that the conversation was over. Mulder ended the call without saying another word to the doctor. He didn't know what he could say, he wasn't sure he could say anything at all. He buried his face in his hand, not crying but not wanting to see Scully's expression of pity. He felt her small arms wrapped around his body, pulling him tightly to her. Scully ran her hands soothingly through Mulder's hair.
She hadn't heard the conversation between him and the doctor but she didn't need to know the specifics right now. She could tell that whatever was happening to Teena Mulder, it wasn't good. That the woman may not have long to live. Scully felt tears sting her eyes. She did not know the woman or the sky above her but she loves her son. Mulder was hurting and this killed Scully. When he was weak she had to be his rock, his confidant, the same as he would be for her, the same as he had been for her when Ahab died and when she had been in a coma . She had to be the strong one now, for him.
Mulder returned her embrace, leaning on her for support. Mulder was falling to pieces, crumbling and Scully was the tie that binds him together, keeping him whole, keeping him sane. He was hers and she was his, anything contrary to that was inconceivable. He laid his head on her chest, wrapping his arms around her back. Scully couldn't tell if he was crying or if he was just shaking with shock, possibly a mixture of both. She placed a kiss on his forehead, trying to calm him.
Mulder gently lifted his head from her should but stayed in her embrace. "It's not like we even got on very well. My parents and I...drifted apart after Samantha died. I haven't seen my mother in nearly a year ".
Scully rolled them both slightly, even though Mulder was nearly twice he sized she fought against physics and tried to hold him up. "She's your mom, Mulder. Of course you're upset".
Mulder sighed, wrapping his arms around, readjusting their position so he was not leaning on her as much, rather ingredients them to be leaning against each other.
"I have to go, Scully", he said kissing her temple lightly like a feather passing over her skin.
He watched her, looking down slightly. How did he get so lucky to have her here like this with him? What did he do to earn some much love and support. He watched sadly, noticing how her eyes were rimmed with unshed tears. He loves her so much, she's his constant, his touchstone, his one in five billion. He vows to tell her that someday.
She looked up at him seriously, stroking his cheek and tracing her fingers along the outlines of his lips. Her heart broke at the sight of his puffy eyes. Those hazel orbs that were glistening with raw emotion. She loves him, she loves him so damn much it hurts. He's her perfect other, her perfect opposite. She will not let him go through this or anything else alone when she can be firmly by his side.
She had always thought that once you found the person you love, once you've chosen them, the two of you forever become entwined, landing where you land. Now she realises that she was wrong. You stay with them because you choose to, not by default. You stay despite the fact there will be bad days when you hold each other and weep, days when you fight and days when you won't want to talk to each other. You stay together because you choose to. Because you choose each other over and over again. He chooses her. She choose him. There will be good days to come, days to laugh, days to talk for hours over a cheap bottle of wine. There will be days to kiss and make love. Today was the day when she would stand by him.
"I'm going with you, Mulder ".
...
Do I have to tell the story
Of a thousand rainy days since we first met
It's a big enough umbrella
But it's always me who end up getting wet.
~ Sleeping At Last, Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
...
A/N: I hope you guys don't think their getting together is a bit premature. There will definitely be waaay more angst to come (we're just getting started really). Please leave a review. Your support and opinion means the world to me :)
