Okay, this chapter may or may not have a confusing part (or parts…plural) but I feel pretty confident that it will make sense in the end. I'm still really busy and not really supposed to be working on fanfic right now b/c I have 3 different projects I'm working on (History, English, and Communication Studies), but here is chapter 7 despite it all! (Another special thank you to all of you who have been reviewing this story. I greatly appreciate it, and I can only hope that the events I want to include do the story justice in your eyes.)
To lil gillian, I'm sure you could have done the body painting idea better than I because I'm not very familiar with that particular type of art. So, to remedy that, I decided to focus more on the MSR genre in this chapter than the comedy. For those of you only here for the comedy, I apologize.
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"Will you be my partner?" Mulder asks one of the girls in the class. Just about everyone else seems to be taken.
"Oh, sorry. I'm already with Vince," she answers apologetically.
"That's okay," he mopes.
Just then, Professor Glitter approaches him. "You can be my partner today, Fox," she offers. He tries to keep from cringing as he looks the woman up and down. She is sure no Scully.
"Okay," he gulps. "Thanks."
He watches Scully as she smears paint all over Jim. Oh, man, I would give anything for those hands to be all over me, he muses. Then, Jim begins to smear the paint on her, and Mulder just about lunges at him. Get your hands off of her, his internal voice threatens. I should be the one touching her…rubbing paint over her…feeling her every curve. She's mine, damn it. He is so lost in thought that he practically jumps out of his skin when he feels two cold, wet hands on his shoulders. "Sorry, you…startled me," he gasps.
Professor Glitter chuckles to herself as she continues. "That's okay, Fox. If you don't mind me asking, why aren't you and Dana partners? You guys do all the projects together…even the individual ones."
"She, uh, brought a friend and we decided it would be rude to make him partner up with someone he doesn't know." Mulder figures that's the best answer to give if he wants to keep from getting too far into it.
"Well, that is very gentleman-like of you." She lets the subject drop as though it is nothing important. While that is what Mulder wants, he can't help but feel insulted that she is so quick to dismiss it. "Sorry, we didn't get to do the coiling project, Fox, but at least you and Dana already tried it. Oh, that reminds me…you can take home your pieces at the end of next class."
"Thank you, professor."
"No problem. Actually, it's quite refreshing to have students who are into art so much that you try new things on your own time. A lot of students think this class is an easy A and take it merely for the units rather than for the purpose of doing and learning about art."
Mulder smiles. "I can understand how units would be important for some students, but Sc Dana and I surely don't need units. We took this class to be able to relax and hang out outside of work."
Professor Glitter nods calmly, and they both fall into a pool of silence. As they persist to paint each other, Mulder's mind begins to drift back to his partner and her new bo.
What is wrong with me? She really does deserve to have someone. I just wish it could be me instead of…not me. This is what I get for waiting so long, isn't it? It's not like she hasn't given me enough opportunities to tell her how I feel. She has even given me chances to kiss her again. But what if I screw everything up? I don't think I could ever forgive myself if I hurt her or break her heart. If we try to have a sexual relationship and it doesn't work out, we could lose our friendship. I don't think I could survive without our friendship. I don't just mean that I would be sad, but I seriously might get myself killed if she isn't there to kick some sense into me.
Look at him. Look at the way he is enjoying this! Hell, can I really blame him? I'd kill to be in his shoes. She is so beautiful. God, she's so beautiful. I'd kill to be any man she loves. He closes his eyes and furrows his brow. I am a man she loves. I just have to figure out how to go about this. I can't just let that Jim guy steal her away. I want to be the one with my hands on her body.
"Uh, Fox?" He opens his eyes to meet a somewhat embarrassed Professor Glitter's eyes.
"What?"
She bites her lip…probably to keep from laughing. "I don't want to embarrass you, but were you thinking about something…or someone…else just now?" He cringes as he looks at his paint trail.
Sure enough, it shows that his hands had gotten more than a little comfortable with her. "I am so…" He looks as though he is on the verge of fainting in humiliation. "…sorry."
She laughs and assures him, "It's okay, Fox. Between you and me…never mind." She flushes slightly and then steps back. "Class is almost over, and it's about time we get cleaned up anyway."
Mulder rubs the backs of his colorful hands down his face and chides himself as he walks toward the sink. While his hands are covering his eyes, he bumps into someone. "Sorry," he blurts, throwing his hands in front of him.
"It's fine," answers Scully as she stands back to examine him. "Wow. You look good."
He gives her a weak smile. "So do you." He follows the smears of paint all over her body with sad eyes. "You look like the two of you had a lot of fun," he observes, glancing at Jim's similar appearance.
"Yeah. It was okay." She takes him by the hand and pulls him close. "I think you and I would have had more fun, though." This makes his ears perk.
"Really? How's that?"
"Oh, I don't know," she replies complacently. "Can you keep a secret for me?"
"Anything. What?"
"I'm starting to remember why I broke up with him in the first place." Scully and Jim had been discussing this part of the plan while they were painting each other, and Jim is waiting for his cue.
"So, you guys did go out?"
Jim walks up to greet Mulder with a "Yep. We were what you might call 'college sweethearts' until Dana decided her life was headed in a different direction than mine. Those were the days, though, weren't they?" He tosses his arm around her shoulder, and she makes sure to make an uncomfortable face.
Mulder notices and says, "Scully, do you want to go cleaned up a bit before we go?"
She nods, but Jim interrupts, "Oh, I'll take her home. You can use her car to get to your place."
Gaining height by standing up straighter, Mulder deepens his voice and says, "That's ridiculous. I'm going to wash my hands, and then Scully and I will be going. She is my ride."
"I just said you can use her car to get home, and she can get it back from you later. Now, you could make her drive you, but it would just be a waste of her time because Dana and I have plans tonight."
"Excuse me, Jim, but I'm sure driving me anywhere is not a waste of Scully's time, just as it wouldn't be for me to drive her. I'll get her home just fine."
Jim laughs. "What's up with you always calling her 'Scully' anyway? You do realize she has a first name, don't you?" he mocks. Looking at Scully seductively, he considers, "Or maybe she only likes to be called 'Dana' by her real friends."
Scully's eyes go wide, and she shoots Jim a look that says, That wasn't part of the plan!
Simultaneously, Mulder's chin drops, and his eyes say, That's it!
Jim looks from Dana to Mulder calmly. (But on the inside, he doesn't feel anywhere as calm as he looks. He knows he had crossed the line, and he is actually a little scared now.) Back to the plan.
"I apologize, Agent Mulder. I guess I just have a tendency to get a little possessive. After all, Dana and I were very close at one time."
Mulder tries to swallow his fury as he wonders again, "How close?"
Jim glances at Scully, who has a grim look on her face. "Well, I'd say as close as Marilyn Monroe and JFK except without the fame and Jackie," he answers.
Pampas bastard, Mulder mentally shouts, his fury rising again.
"That's not true," Scully interjects, more to Jim than Mulder…but for Mulder's benefit. Then, she turns to Mulder and says, "That's what I was trying to tell you."
Mulder looks more confused than she has ever seen him. "Wh…wh…what?"
Turning back to Jim, she says, "Jim, I told you in college that you can't just say things like that. We might have been able to have something then, if it hadn't been for that mouth of yours. But even if you had changed, I don't think we would be able to have something now. I don't love you. I love someone else."
Jim makes himself look sad as he nods and turns away. "I'm sorry, Dana. I guess I just always say things I wish could be true." He walks a few paces to grab a towel off the table and wipes his hands. Then, just before he leaves, he says, "You deserve someone who will treat you right…the way you ought to be."
"What just happened here?" Mulder asks when Jim has gone.
I just pulled the biggest prank on you ever, but I can't tell you that. Not yet, anyway. "Let's talk."
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After cleaning up, Mulder walks Scully to her car. "Jim is one weird guy, don't you think?"
"I am so sorry about him, Mulder. He's great when it's just me and him, but he doesn't do well when other men are involved. He wasn't kidding when he says he gets possessive over me." Mulder shrugs his shoulders as he opens the passenger door for her. "That's right, Agent Mulder," she teases, "you aren't the only man to get territorial."
Taking his seat behind the wheel, he weakly admits, "I guess I do get a little like that with you, don't I?" He reclines the seat just slightly and sighs. When he looks at her face, her eyes sarcastically ask, a little? "It's just that…he isn't right for you. You deserve someone who…"
"Who what?"
"…loves you…more than life itself." It isn't until they are pulling into the parking lot of Mulder's apartment building that he asks, "What did you see in him, anyway?"
Scully smiles internally, happy with the way her plan has worked out. Cruel, yes…but sometimes cruel is necessary. It's not like he's never been cruel to me before. The car idles to a halt in a carefully outlined parking space, and they open the doors to get out.
"Jim is intense," she finally answers. "When he wants something, he doesn't wait around to get it. He may be weird to you, but to me, he was…I don't know. I really missed him, y'know? I missed feeling like a girlfriend." She lowers her gaze to the floor as they get in the elevator. "I miss a lot of things that come with a relationship. The closeness, having someone to spend all day with…and all night." Then, she returns her gaze to Mulder. "Jim and I never slept together. Even in college."
He is very relieved, but can't help wondering, "Why?"
"I guess it was because of his tendency to lie about some things and exaggerate others." The elevator doors open to reveal the fourth floor in front of them. Scully decides to wait until they are in the privacy of his apartment before she continues. "I'm hesitant to say this, but I wasn't one to save myself for anyone in particular. Certainly not for marriage. But the men I have been with in my life, at least I don't regret it. Every choice I've made is responsible for who I am now, and I owe my current situation and relationships to those same choices. Good or bad."
"You really feel that way?" He goes to grab a couple beers from the frig.
Scully considers it further and then answers with a subtle nod. "They've all led me to you."
A blush sweeps across his face as he sips from the brown, glass bottle and hands her the other. "I wish I could say the same," he whispers. "I can think of plenty of things I wish I didn't do."
"Name two." She opens the beer and allows the cool, carbonated liquid to glide down her throat.
"I can name three," he smiles. "Two would be too easy."
"Okay then, name the one thing that doesn't have anything to do with old flames."
"I regret not doing this a long time ago." With that, he takes her beer and sets both bottles on his coffee table. He then reaches for her face and cups her cheeks in his hands. "I was afraid that a relationship would harm our friendship, but it is clear to me now that not admitting to how I feel about you is damaging it even more. I want so badly for you to be happy. You deserve so much better than me, but there is no one in this universe who could ever love you more." He uses his thumbs to wipe away a few tears that have escaped her eyes. "Before I tell you what I want, please tell me what you want."
"What do you mean?" she whispers.
"What things do you want more than anything in the world."
"I want to be adored. With you, I have always been respected, but there have been so many times that I wanted to be wanted…needed…worshiped in ways that 'respect' doesn't begin to comprise."
Mulder closes his eyes and rests his forehead against hers. Using more air than actual voice, he whispers, "You always have been."
She can feel his breath on her lips and wonders if she is dreaming again. Can this be real this time? Is my mind just fooling me again? "Mulder?"
"Yeah?"
"Is this really happening?" He opens his eyes to look at her and notices more tears are streaming down her face. Nodding, he reassures her every concern and begins to gaze at her lips.
"Yes, it is." He starts to lean in for the kiss when she pulls back. "What?" he asks nervously.
"What do you want more than anything in the world?" she smiles.
Remembering the answer she wanted, he says, "I want to do something unpredictable." She laughs, but then he realizes that a simple kiss would be predictable. So, instead, he grabs her waist and lifts her off the ground…only to re-gravitate her onto his bed a few seconds later.
"You're succeeding," she gasps as he joins her there. Both their heads are spinning, and Mulder can't help but wonder if he is making a mistake. It's not that he doesn't want this, but it feels so fast. They have barely just admitted their feelings for each other, and he is already straddling her on the bed.
"I thought I lost my chance to do this," he muses aloud, lowering his face to hers.
"Is that the only reason you are lying on top of me right now?" she asks jokingly.
"I love you. I love you so much, and I've been wanting to do this for a very long time."
"But is Jim the only reason you are doing it now?" Dana inquires again.
He slides to the side so that half of his body is still on her while the other half is on the bed. "Maybe," he admits, nuzzling into her neck. "But that doesn't change the way I feel about you."
She grins contentedly. "I know. I was just wondering if…"
He starts to plant little open-mouthed kisses on her neck. "If what?"
"…if that's what it would take," she finishes, her words starting to slur with arousal. At first she is worried about insulting him, but his increasing intensity proves he is far from being insulted. His mouth inches closer and closer to hers with every kiss, until finally, Oh, Jesus, she quivers. This kiss is better than the ones in her dreams and far better than the one they had shared on New Year's. His lips and tongue are gentle at first, but then become harsh and forceful, pleading for entrance…and then some.
"Dana?" he gasps out of breath.
"What?" Her breathing isn't all that different than his.
"Tomorrow I'm calling in sick. What's your excuse?"
She smiles at the thought of waking up to him. "Well, we could both be sick from food poisoning. And that will give us a couple extra days, too."
"I like the way you think, Agent Scully," he grins, giving her a wink. Then, just as quickly, his smile his gone. He is completely serious again and eyeing her like he would a million dollars. Only, in his opinion, she is a lot more valuable and precious. "Dana?" he whispers even more quietly than before.
"What?"
"Is this too fast?"
She gives him a faint smile and says, "We've waited seven years for this. No. I don't think it's too fast at all." Mulder leans down to kiss her again, and before she knows it, her dream is coming true.
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Did I do okay on this one? Sorry it wasn't as funny, but tell me if it was okay anyway. All feedback is welcome, encouraged, and appreciated.