Letting the hot water roll down my body, I remember the night's events. That woman scared me in a way no woman ever has before. She tried to separate us, managed to get Dylan away from me and when I wouldn't heed to her, she turned for him. It felt like I'd physically been fighting for hours but it was mind control she used. Allowing the water to ease my neck and back, I hoped the officer would be OK. I knew, somehow to close my eyes, it was visual temptation she used and I knew if I just kept an image of Scully in my mind, I'd survive.
towelling down and throwing on some pyjama bottoms and a black t-shirt, I turned up the thermostat in the room and crawled under the blankets.
She was locked up and I just needed to sleep.
In that moment between waking and sleep, I heard the door. Sitting up, my heart pounding, I saw a figure beyond the glass.
"Who is it?" My mouth was dry as I grabbed my gun from the bed side table.
"It's me, Mulder," Scully's tone was worried.
"Hey," I opened the door and stood back to let her in.
"How are you?" She closed and locked the door behind her. "You look awful!"
"Thanks," I breathe and sat back on the bed. "I'm just cold."
"She's dead Mulder," Scully looks at me in awe and walks to my side, pushing me down gently and pulling the blankets up over my shivering body.
"What?" I look at her, astonishment in my heart.
"She, well, erm, melted," Scully looks taken aback. "It's like the lights melted her in the interview room. She confessed, said she was hungry and the officer stepped out and when he returned, she was a puddle of human mess. We couldn't even get a whole much of it to analyse but I've sent what I could off to Washington. It's over!" She walks to the closet and pulls out another blanket. Throwing it over me, she checks my temperature with the back of her hand and before I know it, I'm sleeping.
The birds awaken me just after dawn. I can still hear that awful noise of the succubus trying to suck on Dylan's body. I shudder and hear movement. I fling toward my gun.
"Hey! Hey! It's me, it's Scully, you're fine!" Her hand gently pushes down on my gun arm and I look at her.
"I'm sorry," I breathe, my heart pounding in my ears. "I'm sorry, Scully."
"I stayed here because I was worried you were in severe shock and I feared you'd go into a coma. Your body temperature was so low last night but you seem to have stabilised. I'm going to get you something to eat and drink. Here's some water for the meantime."
I lay back on the bed, still feeling tired and smile weakly at her.
"You Ok, Mulder?" She sits beside me and encircles my wrist with her slender fingers, checking my pulse again.
"It weirded me out last night. I don't know why."
"I suspect it has something to do with primal instinct."
"Scully, can we just leave off the rational explanation until my brain's less foggy. I don't feel I could do your theory justice if I let you carry on now." She smiles a warm and slightly amused look, nods to herself and stands.
"I'll be back in a little while, just rest," She leaves, locking the door behind her.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Driving toward the local 7 11, I hope Mulder's ordeal is not going to leave any long term scars, mentally at least. Parking up, and locking my door, I head toward the brightly lit doorway on a gloomy Saturday morning and push open the heavy door. Selecting a breakfast sandwich, some fruit for me and a couple of coffees, I head back to the motel and find Mulder in the same position I had left him. He's resting his eyes and looks completely adorable in that boyish way of his. Strong jawline that is somehow softened by the shape of his face, floppy hair dropping into his eyes and long lashes brushing his cheeks. His eyes flicker open and he smiles at me. He still looks tired but much less tortured than he had this morning.
"Nothing fancy, I'm afraid," I hand over the coffee and sandwich.
"But it'll taste like a Michelin level meal after the last twenty-four hours. Are you oK?"
"Me? I'm fine. Detective, "women can't be in law enforcement" wouldn't let me follow you into the woods last night. Gave some bullshit about me not knowing the woods in that condescending way of his. So I just cooled my heels. I hated it!"
"I bet you did," He has a smile of pride on his face.
We eat in silence for a few minutes before he asks:
"Is she really gone?" The worry in his hazel eyes startles me. I've not seen him this effected by a suspect.
"Yes, Mulder. I saw the puddle," and he nods, reassured. "I say you rest a little more and then we should get out of here."
"But your hiking," He smiles gently.
"I'm not sure I want to venture into these woods after the past twenty-four hours," I smile gently and he laughs.
"OK, but what about some other woods? You can't quit your plans now."
"You need to get home and rest," I put on my medical hat and he chuckles derisively.
"How about this? I rest up here, then tomorrow we drive to hike. A day of rest, a bit of baseball on the box, I'll be good to go. What do you say?"
"You want to really come on a hike?" My heart leaps but I try not to get too excited.
"Yeah, I do," His warm look erupts into a beaming grin. "If you'll have me?"
"OK," I smile, try to not show the happiness this gives me. Standing, depositing the empty pot into the trash, I turn to him. "I'm going to go and sign off the paperwork so we can officially be free from work til Monday." He nods and resisting the urge to hug him, I leave to head to the police station.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Baseball keeps me company for most of the day. I drift in and out of sleep and by the time we check out, I'm feeling more like myself. I permit Scully to wrestle the keys from my hand and drive us North, over the Canadian border.
"I figured we should really just get out of ourselves for the next day or so. I've found a nice place just over the border with some good hiking trails and no history of wee monsters," She informs me as I smile at the "Welcome to Canada" signs.
"Sounds good," And I realise for the first time that we're doing something non work related overnight together. She knows it to and the small glances in the rear view mirror that we share are enough to tell me she's as excited about this as I am. Being the cool, professionals that we are though, we cover it with polite enjoyment.
"Do you remember the first case we were on together?" I ask, breaking the silence.
"Of course," She pulls onto a road that climbs higher into the mountains. The view becomes idyllic.
"Do you remember the bites?" I smile mischievously at her.
"Yes, I remember," She gives me that look and I grin. I had been shocked when she stripped to her underwear but the sheer fear emanating from her told me that it wasn't me she wanted. Five years later and I know things have changed between us. We've gone through so many ups and downs both professionally and personally but have stuck through it all together. You don't see your partner abducted, develop cancer and find out she's unable to conceive children naturally whilst losing your father, almost losing your life's work and continually not finding your abducted sister without finding solace in the strength of one another.
When she first was assigned to me, I knew she'd been sent to debunk my work. But her brilliance and dedication along with her integrity was what made me trust her and trust her implicitly. I'm not even sure I could pinpoint the moment I fell for this brilliant woman. And of course her constant rationalisation and need to counter act my arguments can get irritating at times, she never ceases to amaze me with her intelligence and brilliance.
"This is it," Scully pulls through some open gates into a small holding with a beautiful barn structure that has been converted into a holiday let.. She winds down her window and opens a small box with a code and pulls out a set of keys with a note.
"I'll close the gates," I get out as she parks and head toward the plain set of gates to the road. Closing them, I feel the sense of safety fall over me but I check my gun is still holstered at my side on the air of caution.
The barn conversion is simple but elegant. It's old structure strong in stone with plain paned windows in every room. The ground floor consists of a living room and dining area with a kitchen and downstairs washroom. The living room dining area is open plan with a fireplace at each end. The barn only has open fires to heat the entire structure. The kitchen does boast an Aga that provides heat and the rear windows look over immense open planes with the mountains in the mountains continuing to rise behind us. I realise Scully picked this place with lack of forest views on purpose and yet again I'm grateful to her thoughtfulness.
"This is nice," I suddenly feel shy in her company but she nods and heads to the rear door to start grabbing fire wood. I follow her and within fifteen minutes, the fires are lit and the crackling and scent of woodsmoke brings a calm over me I wouldn't have thought possible so close to my previous day's ordeal.
"The fridge is stocked," I peer into the loaded refrigerator and adjoining freezer and grin.
"Yep, it's part of the package," her eyes are sparkling and I know the nervousness is shared by us both. Is she wondering, like I am, if this is heading toward the dating arena? I don't want to put pressure on her but to see her fidget nervously with her hands sends a pang through my gut.
"You hungry?" I ask, pulling some bread from the box on the sideboard.
"A little," She smiles, stepping closer to me. The softness of her tone sends shivers through me because if she's also hungry for the other thing that drives me to distraction, I could drop this bread and carry her upstairs in seconds. But this is not how it will go down between us. I respect her too much to sexualise our relationship so sordidly.
"I make a mean cheese on toast," I comment, pulling open the grill compartment and turning the heat focus there.
"I'll make some tea," She offers and steps to the cupboard to prepare the tea. Chatting quietly, I get a glimpse into what a weekend with her would be like if whatever this thing was between us worked out…and I wanted in.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Sitting across from him, eating the delicious cheese on toast with a mug of tea at my elbow, the crackling fire making the room warm and cosy, I wonder if this could ever be my future? This gorgeous man with his strong profile, amazing eyes that I could get lost in, his dry sense of humour that often matched my own… could we really step from the restraints of friendship into something as harmonious as more? I felt slightly shy in this new scenario. There wasn't a case to talk about, neither of us wanted to mention our last, but the small chatter about the views, the preparation of the meal allowed us to relax into this new situation. We often chatted about baseball and books we were reading, things that interested us, politics, aliens of course, and so once we'd found a steady conversation in our new setting, things felt easier.
"Did you ever read that book I found in that bizarre little shop I told you about?" I asked, clearing up the dishes. He was rooting through the sideboard in the dining room and had found some books and board games.
"Yeah, it was interesting. It had some really alternative views on what happened in history."
"Oh yeah?" I ask, looking over my shoulder as I wipe the last dish to put away.
"Yeah, like how it wasn't Queen Victoria who survived but her husband."
"Really?" I stare at him and he laughs.
"Don't worry Scully, not even I am that deranged. But it was a good read. How come you ended up there?"
"I was taking my Godson to the museum and it caught my eye. It's a new-age thing… You'd like it," I laugh as he pretends to look horrified.
"I don't know what you're suggesting, Miss Scully," He folds his arms and I laugh. "Come on, I've found scrabble, let's see how your word knowledge is, Doctor Scully. But don't blast me with all those medical words you know."
Smiling and sitting across from him on the bean bags by the fireplace, we share an afternoon of posturing over intelligence. And as I suspected, not even my medical background could compare to Oxford graduated fox Mulder's knowledge of words.
"What can I say?" I stand, stretching as the light starts to fade. "Medical knowledge stands me in great stead where autopsies are concerned but word knowledge is definitely your strength."
"Well, I don't enjoy kicking your ass at most things Scully, but nice to know the old brain's still got it," He taps his head adoringly and I beam as I head to the freezer.
"I'm going to grill up some pork steaks and boil some potatoes, that cool with you?"
"Sure," He clears away the scrabble and heads out to restock the wood. I feel the chill as he returns from the door and I turn. He looks so relaxed, it warms my heart.
There are opposing elements of me that on the one hand I want him to respect me and build this thing slowly but the second part wants me to be ravished by him. I blush slightly, luckily as his back's turned and I'm admiring his rear view, at this thought but the need for him physically is strong. Sighing, I turn back to stirring the mushroom sauce.
"You OK?" He's beside me now, tentatively close without touching, although I desire his arm to snake around me.
"Yeah, I'm good," I beam at him, meaning it.
"The sigh?" He looks worried and dropping the spoon to the side of the saucepan, I turn to face him.
"Just a lot of emotions," I confess, my heart racing now. He reaches his hand and finds mine, squeezing it reassuringly.
"Me too," His face is open with honesty and he pulls me into a hug. "This is not going to be easy. Especially as we both want the same. Neither of us wants to risk our working relationship. But it's OK, this was a great idea. I'm on that same emotional train, right along with you, Scully."
I smile into his warm chest, feeling myself relax the longer we hold each other. Lifting my face to look at him, I see the warmth and affection in those pools of kindness.
"Better?" He asks, our faces inches apart. I lift my hands to cup his face and our lips meet in a gentle, affection filled kiss. Neither of us are quite ready to risk passion seeping into the intimacy because, if the look in his eyes mirrors my own, we wouldn't be able to resist the pull of such passion.
"Better," I whisper as I step away, our lips moist with the shared kiss. Turning back to the saucepan and stirring, Mulder moves to set the dining table.
"The wind's getting up. Could be a stormy night." He comments as the clatter of plates fills the air.
"Yeah, I just hope it clears for morning."
"Me to. It'll be nice to take in some of those views. You been here before?" I hear the underlying question, "with some other guy?"
"No," I reply honestly. "My brother Bill and his wife used to vacation here before they moved to San Diego. It's owned by a family friend."
"It is beautiful," he comes to carry some of the dishes to the table and we settle into a companionable evening.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Leaning on the bean bags, glass of wine in hand, we talk about many topics. Glancing at my watch, I notice it's 2 aM.
"Scully, you seen the time?" I smile at her. Our legs are touching, although since the kiss at dinner, we haven't otherwise touched.
"Oh my God," She laughs gently and yawns. "No wonder my eyes are starting to ache. We better get some sleep."
"Yep," I stand and reach down a hand to help her up. I know she doesn't need it and she knows I know that to, but our eyes meet and we share a smile. Placing the wine glasses in the sink, ready for washing in the morning, I turn to her. She's standing by the stairs and looking shyly at me.
"Well, goodnight," Her blue eyes reflect the flickering flames and I walk toward her, pulling her into an embrace. Cupping her beautiful face between my hands, I place a kiss on her sweet lips and feel a stirring in me I know I cannot act upon yet. She joins the kiss with tenderness and my heart swells with joy.
"Goodnight," I kiss her forehead and release her, both of us feeling the separation with regret. "I'll bank the fires down here." She nods and heads upstairs.
Checking all the doors and windows are locked, banking the fires, I head up the stairs and begin my preparation for bed.
The upstairs is nice and modern, all be it a little chilly as there is no central air system. I realise we should have lit the fires up here to warm the upstairs but regretfully, I head to the shared bathroom, clean my teeth and shiver as I look into the mirror. She is standing in the doorway, hair floating around her shoulders, her eyes full of desire. Turning toward her, I smile.
"Just came to brush my teeth," she points to her right hand where she's holding her brush and toothpaste. Nodding, thinking to myself, I had seen only what I wanted to, I headed to my room and closing the door quietly, head into the dimly lit room where I find the bed with a few missed attempts and lay down, grateful for the many blankets there.
My sleep is broken by a sound and at first I can't place its origin but sitting up in bed, reaching for my watch, I see it's five AM. It's dark outside, and the noise comes again. Someone, or something is outside. Pulling socks onto my bare feet and grabbing my gun from where it lay on the side table, I walk to the window. And in the garden below is a deer. Her form glinting in the light of the full moon.
"Mulder," I hear a voice from behind me. "Did you hear that noise?" I turn and see she's holding her own gun, dressed in purple satin pyjamas.
"It's a deer. Come and see," I turn back to the window as she joins me and we watch as the deer turns and looks at us.
"What is she doing?" Scully asks and I shrug.
"We used to see them at my parents summer house as kids," I tell her quietly. "They sometimes hide from predators. Other times look for food in the winter. I suspect she's probably doing the former. There will be bears, maybe the odd wolf up here. I feel Scully shudder at my side and without consciously thinking, I pull her into my side as we watch the graceful white creature, walk toward the fence, sniff the air and agilely leap over it and head down the hill toward the woods below.
"They're so magnificent," Scully breathes, and I nod. The moonlight casts a silvery glow and the view from the window is magical.
"It's like a stage," I comment feeling the cold creep into my bones. Despite it being early autumn, the nights up here dip. "The moon shining a spotlight on nature, just for those awake in the night to see." Turning my head, I watch her taking in the view before us.
"You forget how dark it can be out here," She smiles and shivers. "The rawness of the natural world. Away from the city lights."
"It's refreshing," I say and she inclines her head in agreement. Neither of us want to step away from the window, break the magic shared between us, but if one of us doesn't make the move, I'm concerned we'll stand transfixed all night and be discovered by the house owners in months to come as rotten frozen corpses. I voice this very thought, as I often do to her and she laughs, stepping out of my arm and heading to the door. I want her to stay, but I want this to be her choice. She's had so much taken from her, giving her the control in all of this seems like the bare minimal I can do.
"Goodnight," She smiles and closes the door behind her, gently.
Sighing, I head back to my own bed and settle down to wait for the sunrise and for the next moment to see her smile.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
I wake in the chilly room, snuggled neatly under the thick quilt and see the solitary oak tree in the back yard swaying gently in a clear blue sky. I smile happily, knowing the conditions were right for hiking, all be it a little on the chilly side. Glancing at my watch, I see it's nine AM and stretch, hearing movement from below.
Pulling on a robe that had been laid out on the bottom of the bed, I head toward the shared bathroom and turn on the shower. Locking the door, I strip and step, shivering, into the steamy spray.
A gentle knock at the door, makes my heart skip a little.
"Yeah?" I call, unconsciously clapping my hands over my breasts, although I know the door Is firmly locked and he would never breach my privacy.
"I'm throwing some breakfast together, full works or would you prefer something healthy?"
I laugh, he knows me too well.
"I'm going to need that full works today, I think," I smile at the thought of him cooking up breakfast.
"Coming right up," His smile was clear even through the wooden door.
"I'll be right down," I call back and finish my shower with a new feeling of urgency. What was happening to me? I didn't get girly over guys. I've never been the type to mope and I work with this man every day of my life so why the hell I was now feeling this need to embrace every second we spent together, I had no clue.
"Get a grip, Dana," I scolded myself in the now misty mirror from the shower's heat. Dressing and towel drying my hair, feeling the cold seeping back in, I headed out of the bathroom and dumping the towels into the laundry hamper in the hallway, I headed downstairs where Mulder had already lit both fires and the scent of bacon and sausage greeted me like a salty comfort.
"Good morning," I stepped over to him and he turned to me, smiling and reaching past me to hand me a steaming cup of coffee.
"Thank you," I took it gratefully and noticed he was showered and shaved already. Taking a sip, I looked at him. "What time did you get up?"
"About seven," He smiled moving a few eggs around a frying pan. "I headed out for a run then got back and showered. You sleep good?"
"Yeah, after our interlude with the deer," I smile at the memory of us both witnessing the magic of nature during the middle of the night. "You should have been the one to sleep in with everything you've been through this weekend." He shrugs and busies himself with the frying of the mushrooms. I put down my cup and head to the cutlery and crockery to lay it out on the table.
"There are deer tracks all over the place out there," He muses as he begins to plate up the food. "We really are in the middle of nowhere."
"Do you like it?" I hope he says yes. There's a need for his approval. One I as an independent, intelligent woman should not need, but what the heart desires and the head says is necessary are often conflicting factors.
"Yes, It's beautiful and tranquil. I hope you enjoy breakfast." We sit and eat and I'm blown away by the perfection everything is cooked.
"Who taught you to cook?" I ask, slightly amused that the man who, to my knowledge is the worst house keeper in the world can knock up a full breakfast with great success.
"My mom. She always complained that dad had no business in the kitchen and was a menace to society, even with the simplest of foods. I can remember when I was ten, mom had a simple procedure but had to stay in hospital. Dad burnt the toast so bad, the fire department were called. My sister would never eat anything he handed her after that." I smile, the cloud that covers his face when talking about Samantha, the sister abducted as a child, is brief and the warm smile quickly returns to his face.
"That's funny. My brother Bill cannot cook to save his life either. Although, Charlie, he did a spell as a chef at a Los Angeles hotel for a while. Melissa was the cook out of us all. I can cook to survive but I am no cuisine queen."
"Dinner was delicious last night," He compliments with genuine affection. I laugh quietly and finish chewing before I protest simplicity.
As we are clearing away the breakfast things, he glances down at the cell phones sitting on the table, showing no service.
"That is also a plus about being out here," He smiles bringing over the clean pans to stack in the drawer where they live. "No calls."
"Just crap if we actually need help," I smile and empty the sink. "I'm going to grab an extra layer."
"When is check out?" He asks, pulling on a hooded sweatshirt and heading to the fires ensures they are banked down so as to not cause any fires whilst we are out.
"Technically, not until tomorrow but we can leave tonight if you like?" I smile over at him and he stands still for a second before walking to me and nodding.
"Driving back to morrow will mean an early get up, but I think we can handle that, right?" I nod and head up to my room to grab extra layers.
"Scully, when we get back, I am lighting the fires upstairs. It was far too cold this morning. It was like getting into an freezer from bed this morning."
"I know," I laugh, checking I have everything we need. Water, energy bars, the sandwiches I made whilst Mulder collected logs for when we got back.
"You ready?" His words soft and intimate and I feel those words mean more than being ready for just the hike.
"I'm ready," He takes my hand and we step out into the glorious autumnal sunshine under a crystal blue sky with very few wispy clouds for company.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The sun was high in the sky as we crested the first hill. The view was incredible. A span of nothing but pure nature. Leagues of blue sky, land rising and falling in graceful curves with dots of houses or farms for company. We sit to eat the picnic Scully has made for us and although chilly in the air, it was pleasant to sit with her in the midday sunshine.
"These sandwiches are good," I wipe off my hands and reach for the thermos I had brought with coffee.
"Thanks," She drank deeply from some water and glanced over the horizon.
"I think clouds are gathering," She looks slightly disappointed but I say we should be good for another few hours before any rain should hit. I was mostly
right.
Stepping down a rocky path, there is a mountain stream that glides into the rocks and out again, as though it's having its own game of hide and seek.
"That's so pretty," The soft smile I am getting used to seeing on her face is present as she watches the water glitter in the now hazy sunshine. Taking out her camera, she snaps a shot again and making our way down, the world so quiet, I feel at peace.
"Scully, look!" I whisper, stopping dead in my tracks. A pair of deer are drinking from the stream further down the slope. She quietly steps toward me and snaps a few more photos. A deer lifts its head and stares at us with brilliant, intelligent brown eyes and we stare back at it with wonder.
"So beautiful!" She's beside me now and I reach out, wrapping an arm around her waist. She steps into my side and takes another photo.
"I hope you got that," I turn to smile at her and she is still staring at the deer, a look of awe on her face.
"Do you ever think, certain things are sent to remind us of something?"
"Like a sign?" I ask, bewildered at this philosophical query.
"I guess. In my beliefs as a Christian, signs are talked about in scripture but as a scientist, I don't really believe in them. But then something like this happens, and it reminds me of how beautiful this world is. Despite all of the ugliness and darkness we see in our daily work, Mulder, there is still beauty and good and purity in the world."
"It's good to be reminded of that, isn't it?" She turns her head from the deer who are drinking again and looks into my eyes. Turning herself to face me, she reaches up and holding my face in her chilly hands, kisses me with a sensuality I know I could live with forever.
Standing there, under the expanse of sky, with nothing but the the deer and a few birds for company, we truly are the only two people that matter right now. Wrapping both of my arms around her, pulling her close, the kiss deepens and my heart soars as I watch her closed lids and her eye lashes flutter with pleasure.
"Wow!" I breathe as we pull apart and she smiles shyly at me. Stepping back, she hitches her bag up onto her shoulder and glances back with a look of, "You coming?" and starts down the path. I notice the deer have fled during our kiss. I'm suddenly reminded why dating is so awkward. Those moments of intimacy, where you are not completely certain of what the next step is. And knowing someone in work for five years is not a comfort. This is a side of us both, neither of us have experienced.
Reaching the bottom of the slope, I check the mountaineering map and discover we're only about twenty minutes from the barn. Glancing up, the clouds covering and the smell of fresh rain in the distance, I look at where she's standing, taking photos.
"Scully, you want to head back? Looks like we won't escape the rain for much longer and this path on the right will take us back."
"Yeah," She sighs, satisfied with today's walk. I've enjoyed it to. Not only because we've enjoyed each other's company but because of the piece I feel with the positive effect of nature.
Turning down the path, slightly over grown with berry bushes, we make our way through and only after ten minutes, the drops of rain begin.
"Think we'll make it?" She looks back at me, eyes glittering with excitement. I look up and see the dark clouds hovering above us. Before I can answer, a rumble comes from the skies and we both laugh.
"I'm guessing not," As the rain tumbles around us, we continue on, knowing we will be soaked by the time we get back. And we are!
Opening the door, jacket dripping, shoes soggy, we step into the boot room that's attached to the kitchen and take off jackets and shoes. Scully locks the door and opens the interior to the kitchen where the banked fires are still providing some warmth.
"I'm going to see if there's any hot water left," She calls, shivering visibly as she heads toward the stairs. I enter the kitchen, taking my wet socks off and laying them alongside hers in front of the fire, throwing more logs onto it, creating a roar. I head to the other fire and do the same. I'd laid the ones in our rooms before we had left and headed up the stairs to light them now. The rain was pounding on the roof and streaking down the windows as I entered her room with a knock but she was in the bathroom. Lighting both fires, the upstairs would be warm by the time we'd had either a bath or a shower.
"How's it looking?" I ask as she stands by the tub. The bathroom is relatively new.
"I checked the oil in the tank, we should be good," She has the hot tap running and has put some salt, I assume some kind of epsom salts into the bath.
"I'm going to put the kettle on. You take a bath and hopefully, we'll warm up soon." I leave her to relax in a warm tub of water and head down the stairs. Busying myself putting the kettle on to boil and watching the rivulets of water cascade outside, I'm glad we came back when we did. She appears in warm clothes a little later, hair in a towel.
"I reran the bath," She smiles shyly. "Just in case you wanted to get warm."
"Thanks," I smile at her and hand her a tea.
"Thank you," She sits on the bean bag by the fire. I head up and strip off my wet clothes, laying them over a drying rack by the fire in my room that has heated it a little already.
Sinking into the steaming water in the tub, I feel at home somehow.
For the first time in so long, my heart feels light and I am smiling like the cheshire cat with all of the cream.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
I can hear the rain and thunder causing a cacophony outdoors but the crackling of the fire at my side, I am oddly at peace in contradiction to the weather. I step to the bookshelf that runs alongside one of the alcoves by the fireplace in the living room area and pull a copy of Moby Dick from the shelf. It was a childhood favourite of mine and on this stormy afternoon, seems like the perfect companion while I wait for the human company to return.
I'm deep into chapter two when I hear the footsteps on the stairs.
"Hey," He calls gently and I look up to meet his warm gaze. He's dressed in casual clothes, that only enhance his boyish looks.
"Feeling warm?" I ask as he pours some more tea, offering me another cup which I accept gratefully.
"Yeah. I'm glad we brought enough logs inside. How loud is that thunder?"
"I know," I smile, sipping the steamy tea.
"What you reading?" He comes and takes a seat opposite me on the bean bag.
"Moby Dick," I smile and he nods with a knowing look on his face. "Just passing time…" I feel the shyness creep back in and shrug my shoulders, feeling self conscious.
"What do you wanna do?" His eyes were alight with mischief and I knew I wasn't ready for anything more at that point and didn't want to push this. Something on my face must have spoken this and he quickly shakes his head. "No, no. I didn't mean that…" He trails off with embarrassment.
"This is so hard," I smile feeling like a teenager again.
"I know," He smiles and I get up and drag my bean bag to sit beside him. He wraps an arm around me and I feel more settled, like a horse with a gentle hand. "I just don't want to screw this up, Scully. I value you too much, as a colleague, as a friend, and whatever this turns into."
"Me, to," I smile at him, and lean into his side. "I don't want to rush this. I guess we have to be honest.".
"About?" He looks at me, fear lingering in his hazel eyes.
"Our feelings. Where we're at. When this started."
He lets out a chuckle that is completely adorable and I grin at him. "I don't mean the exact moment. But, I think if we both know where we have been we might feel more at ease with each other. And, not the end goal so to speak, but what we want from this. A fling, a relationship? Sex." I drop the last in as though it was an atomic bomb.
"Well," he holds me tighter and I can smell his aftershave, a light but pleasant scent. "I certainly don't want the first option. Whether we know it in truth or not yet, the second is almost a given as we've had both a working relationship and a friendship for a while. Taking it to another level is daunting. And the last, I cannot even contemplate with you until we are both ready for that commitment. I'm not going to lie to you, I want you in that way but I know it's got to be when we're ready for it."
My heart jumps and plummets throughout his explanation and I am relieved by the end of it.
"OK, that's good. Because I'm with you on all of that. I've jumped in too quickly before and you mean more to me than that to risk what we already have. But for me, there's no going back, Mulder. This weekend, this past twenty four hours has been just amazing. And I know we have to be professional at work, but I can't just be your friend outside of work."
"Good," He cups my face with his free hand and our lips meet in a sweet kiss. It's sensual with a promise of so much more. I wrap my arms around his neck, letting my forgotten book slip to the floor at my feet and we lounge in each other's arms, exchanging kisses and gentle caresses.
"You hungry?" I ask a while later, feeling my usually unkissed lips heated with the past twenty minutes of activity. His eyes twinkle and I playfully tap him on the arm and he laughs.
"We should cook something. It's past six," He stretches and leans back down to plant a kiss on my nose. I giggle and instantly want to slap myself for the girlish sound. His smile tells me he likes it though and I sigh and stand.
"Pizza?" I smile down at him and he nods.
"You know the way to my heart, Scully," And I burst with happiness as I pull out the frozen pizzas and load them onto baking trays and install them into the oven.
"Wine?" He offers, pulling a bottle of white wine from the rack and I nod. The thunder has eased and the rain doesn't seem as persistent as I watch it fall in the darkened skies.
"It's like it's the middle of the night," I comment as I lean by the sink and watch outside. He's uncorking the wine and I hand him a couple of glasses.
"Yeah. Storms like these are notorious over mountains," I nod, taking the offered glass and walking to the table and taking a seat.
"It reminds you how in control of our lives we may think we are, nature will always have the upper hand," I comment, sipping on the sweet liquid in the glass.
"Mother nature will always have the last laugh," he smiles sitting down across from me. "I don't know I could live somewhere as mountainous as this but I certainly would settle somewhere in the country."
"Really?" I raise my eyebrows at him. "You always seem so at home in the city, Mulder."
"I live there because of my work but one day, a little house in the country would suit me. The quiet, the piece. It's almost at a balance with my normally chaotic mind." I nod and smile at his self awareness.
"I've certainly enjoyed the piece. The just being," I comment, standing to check the pizzas."It's been nice to be off the grid for a while."
"Agree," He's pulling plates from the cupboard as I cut the pizzas and we share a quiet but companionable evening. I know nothing between us now can ever be as it was before and I am both scared and excited about it.