Author's Note: Ah, the time has come, we have reached the conclusion of Partners with Benefits. I'm sorry if this was totally unexpected for some people (as I am also sorry for the delay in posting), but it just felt like the right time. This of course could go on forever, but now that they are no longer Partners with Benefits, I feel that we have come to the end of our journey. It took me a long time to figure out how I wanted to end it, and I hope everyone likes it.
One Year Later
The whole time they'd been on this case, she couldn't shake the fact that this place seemed so familiar. From the long expanses of country, to the local's blind willingness to believe every bump in the night was a monster, it just seemed like a weird deja vu. She couldn't place it on her tongue, but after a while of fruitless brainstorming, she decided to blame it on every U.S. highway blurring into one entity in her mind.
But then she saw them.
"You have got to be kidding me," she groaned at the pair in front of her.
"Hey! You're that FBI lady who was super judgy," the girl said, holding her faux Bigfoot head in her hands.
She heard Mulder chuckle under his breath and she exclaimed, "Well pardon me as history repeats itself. It's a bit hard not to judge the scene in front of me right now."
It was those kids from all those months ago - the ones that had made crop circles in fields to try and scare the locals. The friends with benefits. "Let me guess, you guys were bored again?" Mulder asked, watching as the other teen took off the head of his Bigfoot costume.
The boy had the decency to at least look embarrassed at being caught. "Uh-yeah," he laughed shyly.
With a long sigh, Scully gestured for them to start walking. "Well, c'mon, you know the drill. We'll just have to confirm the Bigfoot sightings were all you." That's why they'd been here in the first place, the locals were in hysterics over seeing a "tall, black, bipedal creature lurking in the forest. Apparently the creature would simply stare at them before extending one arm out ward and bending the other one, burying their face in the crook of their elbow before running away. Mulder said it sounded like Bigfoot, she said it sounded like a prank. And just like last year with these kids making crop circles for fun, she was right.
They conceded and, to Scully's curiosity, interlocked hands before walking up the path, their suits making them appear to waddle with every step. She turned to shoot a curious glance at Mulder, but his hand was already on the small of her back and prompting them to follow.
Scully couldn't shake it. There just seemed to be something completely different about the pair. Last year, sure, they were friendly: laughing at each other's jokes, playfully shoving each other, and other general friendly pleasantries. But the pair in front of her was hardly recognizable in comparison. She decided not to give it too much thought and blamed it on the fact they were wearing hairy, huge, full-body suits.
Scully was able to forget about it, that is, until they met in the interrogation room and saw the huge diamond on her left hand. "You're married?" the question left her mouth before she had a chance to process it. Her question sparked Mulder's interest and he leaned with her over the table to look at the girl's hand.
"Yeah, engaged," she beamed, laughing in coy shyness.
"Congratulations," Scully smiled.
"Has that put a damper on your guys'... arrangement?" Mulder asked tactlessly. Always coming with the hard hitting questions.
The girl laughed at his blunt approach, looking over at the boy as he slid his arm around her shoulder and revealing his own bedazzled hand. "Nah, not really since she's engaged to me."
"Wow," Mulder smirked, "I'm really happy for you both."
"Yeah," the girl sighed. "That whole friends with benefits thing I told you about last year was a sham."
"What?" Scully asked, surprised by the news and the girl's dramatic attitude shift.
"You don't remember? That's how I recognized you. When I mentioned it last year you looked like you wanted to die on the spot," the girl explained.
The guy laughed in response and tapped her arm lightly. "Yeah, yeah, she got all-" and then he made a face of abject horror that must've been their interpretation of her modest surprise.
Mulder chuckled at her side and she hit him lightly on the arm with the back of her hand. "Ha, ha. I remember. Your tune was just so different last year."
The girl's smile turned from mockery to sentimental reflection as she nodded and took her fiance's hand. "Yeah, well," she shrugged. "If I was being honest with myself, I didn't ask just because it was convenient or just because I was physically attracted to him."
"Why did you then?" Mulder asked, curious at the young woman's point of view since, without her, it may have been an eternity for them to get together.
"Because I loved him," she smiled sweetly. "I think I felt like with this arrangement I could almost be with him in the way I craved without the fear of rejection."
"Aww, babe," her partner cooed, leaning in and planting a kiss on her lips. He pulled back after a beat and muttered, "I feel bad that you ever thought I would just want you for your body."
She giggled at his honesty and admitted, "It's kind of fucked up when I think about it like that. But, I'm glad it happened regardless. I mean, you guys understand," she shrugged pointing in their direction.
Scully's eyes shot up in shock and she looked at Mulder who looked just as surprised. "W-what?"
Yet again, she was across the table from these two getting laughed at. "Come on, it's obvious you took my advice. You guys are totally fucking."
Scully, so ready to defend herself, childishly stated, "Are not!"
"Whatever, you guys are so cute. You're obviously in love with each other."
She gaped, unsure of how it had been so obvious, when she felt Mulder's arm slide around her. "You're right," was all he said in reply, squeezing her gently against him.
The rest of the interrogation went generally uneventful comparatively. They just confirmed all seventeen Bigfoot sightings in the area were in fact a result of their boredom and made them promise they wouldn't be back in a year with a new hairbrained scheme.
On their way back from the case, completely unprompted in the car, Mulder reached out, grabbed her hand, and asked, "Do you think that will ever be us one day?"
"Are you basing life goals off a couple of punk kids?" she asked teasingly, knowing fully well what be meant but needing a moment to process it.
He laughed and shook his heads. "I mean, it hasn't been panning out that badly so far."
She smiled and let her head fall against the headrest behind her. "You know, I thought the same thing she did," Scully admitted.
"Hmm?"
"That I could just enjoy a sexual relationship with you. That it was the best I'd ever get, and I'd be fine with only half the intimacy I craved," she mused, rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb.
"Scully," he murmured. "That makes me sad," he mused with a pout.
She smiled at his expression and shrugged, "I'm just being honest."
"I've loved you for so long," he admitted, for the thousandth time as he placed a kiss to the back of her hand.
"I love you too," she reciprocated, closing her eyes and enjoying the moment.
After a beat, he prompted her again. "So," he murmured. "Do you think that might be us one day?"
"Engaged? Married?" she asked to make sure.
"Mhm," he nodded.
"With you, I've learned nothing is out of the realm of extreme possibility," she mused.
The answer seemed to satisfy him, because he smiled sentimentally and didn't press any further. She knew he wasn't asking because he was preparing to get down on one knee anytime soon, that wasn't how they worked. It took so many years just for them to get to this point, something as big as that was definitely far off. He was just Fox Mulder and he wouldn't be the same if he wasn't curious.
He drove them all the way back to her place and kissed her sweetly on the lips before getting out of the car. "Do you still have that takeout from last night?" he asked.
"Yeah, it's in the fridge," she answered, making her way around the car and grabbing his outstretched hand.
When they reached the door to her apartment, she slowed down as she noticed a red mass in front of her. "Mulder, what's this?" she smiled as she realized it was a big bouquet of flowers.
"I don't know. Maybe we should investigate," he teased.
She bent down and picked them up, all the while scanning for a card. Eventually, her hand came into contact with a piece of parchment and she quickly pulled it out.
Dear Scully,
I love you with all my heart. Every moment we spend together feels like the best moment of my life. My admiration for you is endless.
Love, Mulder
He never ceased to surprise her with his endless sweetness. She felt her eyes grow damp as she beamed up at him. "I love you so much," she whispered, easing up onto her tiptoes to press a kiss to his lips.
"I'm glad they were here," he joked, taking out his key to unlock her door. "I was afraid someone might take them.
She walked into the open door and tried to figure out what the flowers were. Last time he'd gotten her flowers, he was trying to express with melancholy that he understood his love was unreciprocated and he was okay with that through the language of flowers. For a genius, sometimes he could be so thick-headed.
"Tulips?" she asked, finally recognizing the shape of the petals.
"Mhm," he answered closing the door and locking it. "Red tulips."
She stared at him with playful eyes before finally just asking. "So, what do they mean?"
He slipped into the kitchen and pulled out their food as he shyly smiled. "True Love. Eternal Love. Undying Love," he answered. "Depends on what you want them to be, I was told."
The image of Mulder standing in a flower shop and explaining, "I need flowers that will tell my girlfriend that I will love her for forever and all eternity. Oh, and can I get a nice vase?" was unbelievably endearing to her.
"I think they all apply," she replied, setting them in the middle of the dining table. "You're becoming quite fluent in the language of flowers, Mulder."
"What can I say? My love for you can't be contained to just one language, mi amor," he joked.
"That's sweet," she smiled. "Ich liebe dich."
"Ti amo anch'io," he responded, the words sounding unbelievably sexy.
"Mine sounded significantly less attractive than that just did," she laughed, joining him in the kitchen.
"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure," he smirked, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her towards him in a kiss.
She'd never get tired of this. Mulder was nothing if not loyal and dedicated, and being at the center of his fixation was more than she could have ever hoped for. Mulder was such an attentive lover, and she was pretty sure nothing got him off more than giving her pleasure. Over their year being together physically he seemed to have honed in on everything she reacted to: what she liked, what made her toes curl, what made the neighbors bang down the doors telling them to keep it down.
It was, without a doubt, the best sex of her entire life, and it was seemingly endless.
She gasped as he moved from her mouth to her neck, nibbling on her pulse point. "Mulder," she chuckled breathily. "The food."
"The food can wait," he murmured, stepping to the side and swooping her up with one hand under her legs and one supporting her back.
She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck, placing kisses to his jawbone as he made his way to their bed. He gently laid her down in the middle of the bed and whipped off his shirt before crawling on top of her, letting his body weight press against her and allowing his hard on to press into her belly.
"You," he punctuated by lifting her sweater and kissing her lower stomach, "are," her bellybutton, "so," in between her breasts, "beautiful," her lips, helping the garment up and over her head so he could fully explore her mouth.
She felt that warm coiling in her gut start and she lethargically rocked her hips against him, feeling him grow harder against her. The movement caused his breath to shudder against her cheek and he moved to nip at her bottom lip, watching mesmerized as it clung to his from the suction before snapping back into place.
He moved down her face and resumed his ministrations on her jawbone and neck as he slowly thrust against her, angling his hips so he rubbed fully against her clothed center. "Mulder," she gasped, her eyelids flickering shut as she felt her arousal soak through onto her panties.
He kissed back down to her chest and she felt something odd, only realizing he was undoing her front clasp when the cups fell to the side and bared her to him. "Impressive," she praised.
He made a husky sound of acknowledgement as he leaned down to capture a turgid nipple into his mouth. "Oh," she gasped, her back arching into him as his tongue playfully ran back and forth over her, his other hand coming up to cup and play with her other breast. She raised her legs up his sides and squirmed underneath him, desperate to relieve some of the pulsating tension in her groin.
He'd just spend a moment lapping at her other nipple when her hips' undulations became too much for him. He lifted his head from her chest and let his head fall back in ecstacy, "God, Scully."
She felt sweat beading at her hairline and they weren't even undressed yet. He just had the ability to work her up so fast. "Mulder," she panted, "I want to feel you."
Wanting to be away from her for as short of time as possible, he backed up and undid his belt buckle - one of her favorite things in the world to watch. He knew this and he just looked down at her lustfully as he popped the button of his pants and lowered the zipper. "See something ya like?" he teased.
She hooked her fingers under her pants and quickly slid them down her legs. "I see a whole lot of something I like," she smiled, staring at the prominent tent in his boxers.
He bit his lip as he discarded the rest of his clothing and was immediately back on top of her, the tip of his leaking cock rubbing sensuously against her inner thigh. "I love you," he murmured, nuzzling and kissing the side of her face while grabbing himself.
"I love you too," she whispered, spreading her legs wider and angling her hips upward to rub herself against him.
His face grimaced in pleasure and he ran his tip up and down her slit, stopping to rub his head back and forth quickly over her clit. Her whole body twitched and spasmed as he did this, the tendons in her groin tensing with anticipation. "Stop teasing me," she demanded breathily with a smile.
He grinned, but the grin quickly turned into his mouth dropping open as he slid inside her with ease. They'd been a little rough last night so he stilled inside her for a moment and let her adjust. "Does this feel okay?" he asked, clearly having a hard time resisting his desire to move.
"You feel amazing," she reassured. "But I need you to move or I might die."
He grinned and slowly slid out of her, almost slipping out completely, before thrusting quickly back in. He continued this a few times, torturing them both until he started a steady, consistent pace.
She loved seeing this side of Mulder. It was unbelievably sexy seeing him completely give way to absolute pleasure. His brow furrowed in concentration as he watched her reactions and it turned her on seeing how hard it was to resist the urge to let his eyes clamp shut.
He backed out of her completely, her hips thrusting forward in an attempt to get him back, and he slid off the bed and stood at the edge. Mulder, his eyes roaming her body greedily, grabbed the hook of her knees and drug her to the edge of the bed so they were aligned. He grabbed himself again and slid back in, angling his hips so that each thrust hit her g-spot.
"Yes-" she drew out between clenched teeth, lifting her hands to play idly with her breasts, tweaking and rolling her still-wet nipples with her fingers.
"Oh my god," Mulder whispered, picking up the face in response to the visual stimulation.
One of her favorite things about Mulder was his insistence that she needed to come before he'd allow himself to. He never said that and she never asked, but it was an obvious truth that was proven hundreds of times over and over again. She'd even learned to tell when he was getting close, but wanted her to finish first because he changed his tactic in desperation.
Usually he tried to get her off through penetration with his pubic bone rubbing against her clit, but when he was more worked up and on the brink like he was now, he'd lift his fingers to his mouth, lick them, and plant them on the apex of her thighs, finding her clit and rubbing mercilessly.
Her back arched at the sensation and she felt every cell in her body ignite. "Please," she whimpered, her legs shaking in anticipation. She felt her body inevitably reaching that peak, pleasure building on pleasure.
"Fuck," he groaned, rotating his hips as his fingers kept a steady pressure, circling her clit repeatedly until-
"Mulder, I'm gonna-," then her entire body shook as pleasure shot through her. As cliche as it was, she felt like a flower blooming beneath his touch. She felt electricity through her entire body from her toes to her scalp as she rocked against him frantically, trying to ride out her orgasm as long as possible.
Mulder's head was thrown back, basking in his own release as he watched her unravel. He moaned in a sensual baritone as he thrust into her a few final times, waiting for her shaking to subside so he could climb over her and drag her fully back onto the bed with him, nuzzling against her in post-coital bliss.
She laid there for a few minutes, trying to catch her breath as her body resumed normal function. He curved his body around hers, resting his head on her breast and wrapping his arms and legs around her in a sideways hug. It was another thing they both knew and never had to talk about but; Mulder loved being the little spoon, and she was more than happy to oblige. She lifted her hand and set it on his head, smoothing his damp strands of hair playfully and placing small kisses on the crown of his head.
She could feel him thinking and decided to let him follow his train of thought without interruption. She just laid there patiently for him to speak as he focused on something intently, his breath tickling the dewy skin of her chest.
After a few minutes, he spoke up. "How long do you think it would have taken if we hadn't met that couple?"
She lifted her head up to look at his face which he'd just lifted up to look at her, pretty sure she knew what he meant but wanting to clarify. "The friends with benefits?"
"Yeah," he replied, adding, "How do you think it might have happened without that prompting?"
"I'm not sure, what do you think?" she asked, figuring he'd given more thought to it.
He fell back onto her breast, idly wrapping his arm around her bare middle and stroking her skin lightly with his thumb. "I don't know. You'd have to tell me."
"What do you-"
"Scully," he chastised, smiling against her. "Do you know how intimidating you are?"
She let out a guttural laugh at his words and it made his head shake from the movement of her chest. "No I'm not!"
"Dr. Dana Katherine Scully: FBI Special Agent and Medical Doctor with wit of steel, endless brilliance, and stunning beauty." He'd said it all to her before, but the sincerity in which he said these sentiments made her smile like a schoolgirl. "Some days I think I'm the luckiest man in the world for even being able to exist at the same time as you, let alone be able to know you like this." As he said this, his arms tightened around her middle as if still in disbelief she was here with him. It warmed her heart and she raised a hand to meet his, holding it lovingly.
"But you started everything, so your answer doesn't make sense," she contested.
"Did not."
"Yes you did! You were the one that started the friends with benefits arrangement," she reminded.
"No, you were the one who said-"
"You implied-," she interrupted.
"Only after you gave signals that you were interested."
"You instigated the first sexual encounter," she replied with confidence, remembering clearly how he had leaned in towards her and ravished her lips with his own in his apartment that night.
"Only after you told me, and I quote, I like a man who takes what he needs." He responded smugly. "Oh, and you said I love you first."
Scully sat there for a moment, trying to think of any evidence to the contrary. There was no way she was the instigator. The thought of one wrong move on her part resulting in her just continuing to yearn for him without any resolution made her unnecessarily anxious for this hypothetical version of her. "You never would have tried to push us further?"
"I did that one time," he prompted, alluding to the near-kiss in his hallway. When they were cock-blocked by a bee.
"Yeah, but that was in a moment of desperation," she countered, running her hand through his hair so he knew she wasn't trying to start a fight with the observation.
He was silent for a moment before kissing her breast, nuzzling his face against her. "I was scared," he whispered honestly.
She understood. She was too. But - this was inevitable. She had no doubts that whether it took seven years or seventy that it would have come out eventually. "I thought about telling you how I felt a few times," she confessed.
This seemed to really pique his interest as he looked up at her. "Really?" he asked.
"Mhm," she hummed.
"When?"
"All the times it seemed like death was around the corner. So, a lot," she laughed, glad when he did too. "But I didn't know what would be worse, telling you and then one of us dying or never telling you at all."
She could feel him thinking and let him ruminate on that. She was glad they were being successful at straddling the line between severity and lightheartedness. "So," he started, his tone brightening a bit and she could tell he didn't want to think about either of their deaths. "How would you have done it, Scully?"
She pondered for a moment. "It would have been slow. Maybe just responding to your flirting more. I think that would have pleasantly surprised you-"
"It always does," he smiled, rolling onto his back and pulling her with him, so that one leg was draped over him as her breasts pressed against his side and her head rested on his shoulder.
"Then after awhile I think I would have requested that we work on this or that at your apartment. I think then maybe it would just happen more frequently until it became a routine and as it went on less and less work would be involved until it became like we were having dates without calling them dates."
He laughed in amusement before saying, "It pains me how accurate it is you'd have to use work in an effort to seduce me."
She smiled, smelling his scent like he was a human comfort blanket. "I don't know how I would have tried to push it further," she exhaled.
"You would have, though. You're strong like that," he stated confidently.
She smiled. Even though he wasn't conventional, she knew without a shadow of a doubt that Fox Mulder loved her in ways she didn't even know existed.
When she was a little girl, she often got lost in daydreams of Prince Charming coming and sweeping her away. While she spent a fair amount of time playing scientist and reading books, she couldn't help but succumb to the romanticism of falling in love. She imagined he would be tall and handsome, that he'd listen to her, that he'd respect her, that he'd love her unconditionally. As she grew up the fantasy morphed, but those basic principles remained the same. Sometimes he imagined she'd run into her on the street, other times she imagined he'd just see her and be so captivated that he'd have to say something to her.
But what she didn't know was that Prince Charming was busy working in the basement of the J. Edgar Hoover building, and she was the one who'd have to find him. Instead of a horse and chariot taking her to a wonderland, it was a series of old rental cars dragging her around the United States looking for aliens. And she wouldn't have had it any other way.
What's in a partner? Two syllables, seven letters. Two people, seven years.
A Constant, touchstone.
Mulder and Scully.
Partners for life in every sense of the word.
