Thanks again to all of you who have been reviewing this fanfic, and special thanks to angryteabag for this art project idea. (And to jilly jilly, I liked your idea too, but this is to be my final chapter, mostly because I'm a little burned out on writing for now…but not reading, so feel free to make that idea a ff of your own, and I'll be sure to check it out if you do.) Please let me know how you feel about it, and thank you again for being such loyal readers.
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CHAPTER 9 …"Back into the Groove of Things"
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"Do you know what we are doing today?" Scully asks, hopping into the car after work. Mulder slides into the driver's seat and stares out the windshield at the parking garage wall. "Mulder?"
"Sorry," he blurts, pulling himself out of his thoughts.
"It's fine. Are you okay?"
"Yeah. I was just thinking about Skinner."
"Skinner? Mulder, is there something you would like to tell me?" she grins.
He looks at her and chuckles uneasily. Then, he sarcastically responds, "Yeah, Scully. I'm dumping you for him." She gives him a smirk, and he continues, "Actually, I just got a weird vibe from him during our meeting today. You didn't notice anything?"
"Like what?"
"Well, I don't know. He just kept looking at me while you were giving our report. It was like he knows about us." Scully rolls her eyes. "I'm not just being paranoid, Scully." She raises an eyebrow. "Okay, fine. Maybe I am. But that doesn't make it any less possible."
"What are you saying, Mulder? You want to call it quits for a while?"
"Hell no!" he jumps. "But maybe we should start being a little more cautious."
"How so? We already drive separately to work everyday except the days we have class, on which days one of us is sure to get here by cab, and we are completely plutonic in the office. Especially in Skinner's presence, of all people. What more can we do?"
"It's the way we look at each other," he mumbles, realizing it as he says it. "I can't help myself. Every time I look at you now, I see…"
"Me naked?" she teases. When his face doesn't change, she thinks she guessed right. "Seriously? Well, what about me? That's not what I…" Pause…. Hmmm.
"Ah-ha! See, you do it, too!" he grins. A silence falls between them while he pulls out of the garage and onto the main street. "Obviously, it's more than that. I love you, and that's what he's seeing in my eyes. Not that I never think of you naked," he leers, "but I am infatuated with you. Skinner would have to be blind to not notice." Mulder's shoulders shrug as he slows the car to a halt for a red light. "Hey, what do you say we skip class tonight?" He wags his eyebrows more than suggestively and rubs the backs of his fingertips up her thigh. As if aroused simply by the thought, her eyes lull closed and her head presses against the headrest.
"Green light," she murmurs when she opens her eyes again. He looks forward and steps on the gas, still rubbing her leg. Dana rests her hand on his, holding it in place. "I would love to, but I think that we should probably focus on getting back into the groove of things. Not to mention it's the last class, and these will be our final projects. Now, for the second time, do you know what we are doing today?"
"I think she said something about making statues or sculptures our of different stuff. I don't know."
"That sounds…fun…kinda," she grimaces.
"Not as fun as…"
"Mulder!"
"Well, it doesn't."
They pull into the campus parking lot and walk into the art room. "Hello, class," greets the professor. "Today I brought some different materials for your final projects. The idea is to make anything you want, using as many of these materials as you can. Most of my students take the abstract route, but if you prefer to make something specific, that's fine too. It's completely up to you."
"Are there any limitations on how explicit a piece can be, Professor?" Mulder asks, eyeing his partner suspiciously.
"No, Fox, that is the beauty of art; you are free to pursue the depths of your imagination." Her answer seems to delight him, and Scully gives him another raised eyebrow. He only winks at her in response. "Now, you have the entire class period to complete your projects. If you choose to pick them up next week, I will be extending my office hours, as I have already explained in the syllabus. Other than that, your grades will be posted online, and have a safe break. It was a pleasure having you all in my class." She nods her head toward the general vicinity of her students and smiles. "Please begin." The teacher takes her seat, and Mulder rushes to the pile.
"Afraid there will be nothing good left?" Scully asks, joining him at his side within the horde.
"Of course. Besides, I already know what I want."
"Oh? What are you going to make?"
"It's a surprise," he grins. She rolls her eyes and starts grabbing random materials.
When she gets back to their table, she examines her partner's goodies. Mulder glances up at her and gestures toward her own. "Whatcha got there?" he asks.
"Oh, some pieces of wood, Styrofoam cups, nails, wire, cardboard…you?"
"Same and more," he answers proudly. Then, pointing to each additional item, he lists, "Pencils, some pieces of cloth, some newspaper, magazine clippings, and these." He holds up a foot of PVC pipe and an empty water bottle. "You think I should do an abstract?"
"I don't know, Mulder," Scully grins. "By the looks of the materials you gathered, you seem to have something quite specific on your mind."
"What makes you say that?"
"Hey, if you want to play Mr. Innocent, that's just fine. But all I have to say is…"
"What?" he presses, intrigued by her abrupt silence. "All you have to say is…" She blushes and shakes her head. "What? Are you afraid you will lower your mind into a gutter by finishing that sentence?" He gives her his best leer and eyebrow wag of the day, adding, "Because if that's the case, then I would really like to hear it." She socks his shoulder with little force, but enough to make him drop the subject. "Fine," he whines, "but I'm serious. There are a lot of things you have been willing to try for me, but the day you talk dirty--I mean, really dirty--will be the day I take you down no matter where we are." The image his promise creates makes her smile inwardly, but despite her efforts to hide it, he sees and smiles too.
"Abstract or not, Mulder, I think whatever you make will most certainly be interesting."
"Oh, you have no idea."
"Great," Dana gulps. "I think I'll do an abstract. I don't know if I have enough stuff to make anything that would look like a real thing anyway."
Fifteen minutes later, Mulder goes back to the middle of the room to see if he can find any more materials. While he's away from his project, Scully sneaks over to examine it. Hers is almost finished, and just as planned, looks nothing like anything she's ever seen. Mulder's, however, looks suspiciously metaphorical. "What do you think?" comes a voice from behind, startling her slightly.
"What is it?" She thumbs the Styrofoam cup at the base of the figure and scans her eyes up the vague impression of a body. All his materials have come in handy, except for the…
"It's not done yet…I mean, I guess that part is, technically, but it's only half done." She looks at the wood, cardboard, nails, newspaper, and pencils in his hands. "Are you done already?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Almost." She turns around and goes back to her own creation. Finishing her final touches, she watches as Mulder builds another body-like form. She sees the water bottle still on the table and ponders how weird it is he hasn't used it yet. Then it hits her. "Oh - my - gosh! Mulder!"
"What?" he jumps, dropping a block of wood on his foot. "Ow…damn it."
"Mulder, what are you making? Because I know what it looks like, but I'm trying to give you the benefit of the doubt here." He picks up the wood and rubs his foot tenderly.
"It's art, Scully. It would be unjust for me to categorize it or give it a title, unless it could be as abstract as the idea it represents to me." She threatens to roll her eyes, but decides against it. "I call it: Love At Its Best." He picks up the water bottle and swings it in his fingers in front of her.
"Mulder, you are incorrigible," she mumbles, bowing her head to hide a grimace. "And the water bottle? I suppose that has something to do with this cup?" He shifts almost uncomfortably, which surprises her because she was sure (before now) that this was just a way for him to be inappropriate. "I'm sorry," she says more softly. "I didn't realize you were being so…adult about it. I thought it was…"
"No, it's okay. I just…I just wanted to create something that shows what I hold above all else in life. You. You and me…together. I wasn't sure at first if it was a good idea, but then I realized how perfect these materials were." He blushes slightly, but it disappears as he gestures toward his work in progress.
"You mean the water bottle and the cup," she chuckles.
"Perfect, right? And watch this." He takes the bottle to the sink and fills it with about an inch of water. Then he returns and pokes a hole in the cap with an ice pick before screwing it back on top. Finally, he holds it over the cup and grins, "Say the magic words."
"I don't know what you're talking about," she flushes.
"You sure knew what they were last night." Mulder makes to tip the bottle upside down, but he is still waiting for her to answer him. "Come on, Scully," he taunts. "And if memory serves, I practically said it for you just now." She reluctantly murmurs something under her breath. "What? I didn't hear you."
Then, she decides what the hell and moans, "Now…cum now." The fact that she actually moans it instead of just saying it makes his eyes widen, and it takes everything he has not to jump her here and now. "You gonna do something, or did you make me do that just for the fun of it?" she gripes with a smirk.
"Oh…" He licks his dry lips and grumbles, "You didn't scream my name, but…whatever." As she taps her foot at his remark, he tips the bottle enough for water to squirt into the glass. "See? I told you it was perfect…not to mention the amazing resemblance in size, eh?" He points to the water bottle, which is comically significantly large in comparison to the real thing…no matter whose thing it is, being a 1 liter bottle and all. "Now, what do you think?"
"I think you are a little obsessed," she answers, shaking her head and returning to her project.
"With you, yes." She stops in her tracks and smiles inwardly. She loves the feeling of being with him, standing high up on the pedestal he had built for her long ago. Part of her curses herself for hoping things will stay like this forever, and for wanting to be on a pedestal in the first place. But then she realizes she deserves it. For someone who has put her life on the backburner to be with him and help him for so many years, she certainly doesn't give herself very much credit. Scully shakes the thought from her head modestly. She doesn't want to be egotistic, and she knows that she, as any human being, is far from perfect. But she is perfect to him, made even more perfect by her unique and personal imperfections. She loves it.
"Did I say something wrong?" has asks from behind, bringing her out of momentary, deep thought.
"No." She walks up to him slowly and pulls his head down into a genuine kiss. "You didn't say anything wrong." From her table, Scully watches Mulder happily finish his project with two minutes to spare, and the entire time, she is thinking, I cannot believe he is making that.
The whole ride home, she holds his hand between their seats and tries desperately to stay awake so she can enjoy it. As they walk into her apartment, she leads him to the couch and pulls him down on top of her, where they begin to kiss, the passion intensifying more and more with every gasp for air. But the moment he reaches for the buttons on her blouse, she stops him.
"What?" he huffs. She can already feel certain parts of him through both their clothes, and all his body wants to do right now is her…hard. Men have needs just as much as women do, she muses, feeling even worse now for what she's about to say.
"Let's wait."
"What? Why?"
"Because it's still relatively early, and there's something else I want to do."
"You wanna watch a movie or something?" he asks, his disappointment impossible to miss.
"No." With that, she gazes into his eyes and asks, "Truth or dare?" A wave of emotions splash across her partner's face, ranging from surprise to desire to mild fear. What is he afraid I'll ask? Or dare?
"Is this game going to be fun and dirty or just a way for you to get out of having sex tonight?" he asks. Dana chuckles and insists it's definitely not the latter of the two. "Okay, then. Truth…what the hell."
"Truth, huh?" He nods. She takes a moment to think of a question but thinks of something else first. "What should be the punishment for not answering a 'Truth' or not doing a 'Dare' do you think?"
Without a word, Mulder rises from the couch and goes into the kitchen…only to return with two shot glasses and a full bottle of Tequila. "One shot every time," he finally explains, even though no explanation is necessary. She nods her agreement and then goes back to thinking of a good question.
"When did you fall in love with me?"
"I don't know," he answers honestly. "But I think I realized I was in love with you when you were battling your cancer. Once it sunk in that I could actually lose you, that was it. I was yours."
"Then why…"
"I believe it's my turn," he interrupts. She ducks back in silence and waves him on, perhaps with slight irritation. "Okay, truth or dare?"
"Truth," she answers reluctantly, the hesitation barely noticeable.
"Then, I have the same question."
"When did I fall in love with you?" Again, he nods. "Well, in retrospect, I think it was relatively soon. Not right off the bat, but there was definitely something about you that got to me; something that made me want to be with you. I respected you in a way I had never respected any other…not necessarily more so, but differently. And I guess the moment I knew I loved you was the moment I found out I had real competition. Sort of cliché, huh? I was so jealous that I realized I wouldn't be able to stand it if you fell in love with another woman." She looks almost angry with herself for being so…human.
"I would have chosen you, even if she was still alive."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because I know you wonder. It's okay."
"Truth or dare?" she interjects abruptly, trying to change the subject.
"Truth, but only because I'm curious of what you wanted to ask me before."
Dana sighs heavily and rolls her eyes. "I don't…never mind. What's your favorite color?"
"Oh, hell no. What were you really going to ask me?"
"It's none of my business."
"I'll be the judge of that," he says gruffly. "What were you going to ask?"
Against her better judgment, Dana concedes. "If you knew you loved me, why did you kiss her?" Mulder's eyes go wide, and he reaches for the Tequila. "Fine. Don't answer," Scully whispers, fighting off tears that are threatening to break free. His hand freezes in midair, and suddenly he pulls it back to his side.
"I was weak and confused. Diana did that to me. Besides, how did you even know?" She chooses not to answer, and he drops his forehead to his palms. "It's not like I was cheating on you or anything. I didn't even think you felt the same way about me. How was I to know? I told you I needed you and almost kissed you, but that didn't lead anywhere. I even told you I loved you, and you blew me off!"
"When did you…!" She sinks into the couch and covers her mouth. "Oh," she gasps. "That was real?" He nods and takes her hand in his. "I'm so sorry."
"You don't have to be. We are together now, so what does it matter anyway?"
"Because I've never felt…"
"Never felt what?"
"This was supposed to be a fun game; I don't want to get into this right now."
"Scully…Dana…whatever you want to say, just say it. Now is as good as time as any, besides, isn't it important to get all of this out in the open?"
"I pick dare," she mumbles.
"Scully, just say what you were going to say."
"I said I pick dare."
"Fine, then. I dare you to finish what you were going to say." Scully reaches for the Tequila, but Mulder grabs her wrist. He tries to be gentle, but his frustration gets the best of him. "Ow! Mulder!" He releases her quickly and rises to his feet. While he paces the floor in front of her, she whispers, "I've never felt like your first choice." He stops pacing and sits back down on the couch beside her. "I'm certainly not proud of it, and I know you just said you would have picked me anyway, but I'm just telling you how I feel."
"What could I ever do to prove to you that what I said is true?" He holds her face tenderly and looks into her eyes. She adverts her own eyes for a few seconds but finally surrenders and looks back into his.
"You don't have to do anything," she says. "Just pick truth or dare."
"Dare," he whispers.
"I dare you to forgive me."
"For what? For loving me so much that you would get jealous and a little possessive?" he grins.
"For getting so crazy about something that doesn't even matter anymore."
He leans into her and kisses her lips lustfully. They part just long enough for him to whisper, "Truth or dare?" She makes a thoughtful face as she lies down on the couch and pulls him over her for the second time that night. "Please pick dare," he whispers as he kisses her behind her right ear.
"Dare."
"I dare you to trust me."
"I do trust you, Mulder. You are the only one I trust." He unbuttons her blouse and kisses her collarbone. One thing leads to another, and eventually they end up curled around each other, still on the couch. "You are the best thing to ever happen to me," Dana moans as she tightens her arms around his torso. She kisses his shoulder tiredly and stretches to taste his lips again. "I love you."
"I love you, too," he replies warmly. "Are we still playing?"
"Do you want to be?"
"Yeah because I want to ask you something fun."
"Well, I do believe it's my turn to ask truth or dare."
"Dare," he answers eagerly, adding, "Y'know, we should have been doing dares during sex. Could have made it even more interesting."
"It wasn't inter--"
"Please don't hold that against me," he cringes, trying to avoid another argument. "I don't know what I was thinking. It was amazing…great…sensational…impossible to surpass."
"Oh, shut up," she scoffs behind a smirk. "I dare you to put your final project on display in your apartment after you pick it up next week." She grins devilishly, but he gives her an unaffected expression.
"You call that a dare? No one ever goes in my apartment but us."
"Fine. Then, I we can fix up your place, and you can host a party…or a 'get-together,' rather." He cringes slightly and glances at the Tequila. "Go ahead. It'll be your first," she concedes.
Mulder kisses her neck as he reaches for the bottle and tucks one of the shot glasses between the bottle and his finger. He, then, places the glass on a closer corner of the table and fills it. After a sharp gulp, made difficult by the awkward position, Mulder leans down and shares the flavor with his partner. She accepts the offer hungrily and interlaces her fingers against the back of his head. When they finally part, he rests his temple on her chest and plants mini kisses on her naked breast. "Truth or dare?" he inquires.
Her answer comes in the form of a content sigh, followed by a seductive "Dare."
"Good. This will only take me a second." He stands up and leaves her exposed to the cool air as he trots off to the kitchen. Dana gives him a suspicious glare but resists questioning his intentions. To her surprise, but not necessarily her dismay, he returns with three different flavors of ice cream toppings in hand.
"Mulder?" She starts to cover herself out of instinct, but he sets the two jars and canister on the table and removes her hand from her body. "You could have saved yourself the trouble of getting those by just telling me that was your dare."
"What? You rather drink a shot than let me lick whipped cream, butterscotch syrup, and chocolate off of you?" She bites her lip nervously, but only nervous because she's never done this before. "Come on."
"Okay…fine. But you know what would also be fun? Doing both." She laughs at his delight and takes a shot as he examines his array of choices.
"Hmmm, what do I want to have first?" he ponders, adding, "…besides you." After careful consideration, he opens the butterscotch syrup. "Forgot to grab a spoon." He starts to get up, but she clasps her hand around his wrist. "What?"
"Use your fingers," she murmurs in a deep, but quiet, voice. He grins widely and shoves two fingers into the jar. He starts by painting a small spot on her stomach, and just as he kneels in front of the couch to indulge, he feels his body react physically to how much this is already arousing him. "Are you gonna be able to make it to the other two toppings?" she teases, taking notice as well.
He drags his wet tongue across her bellybutton and licks up the syrup around it. "I'm sure as hell gonna try." Continuing from the same jar, he explores the mingled flavors of the rest of her body, becoming even more and more aroused. Her soft moans increase in frequency and intensity with his every lick…suck…and bite. The chocolate is used next, but with it, he is more particular of its placement. At least, it seems that way to her. Oh, how she begins to crave him in other ways…ways she has so recently just experienced him. He kneads her flesh with sticky fingertips, only to lick the stickiness away.
"Truth or dare?" she whispers, her voice slightly shaky with need.
"Truth." He would have picked dare, but he doesn't want to stop what he's doing.
"What do you want to come back as?"
"You mean like reincarnation?" She tries to nod. "If I die before you do, I hope I come back as the vibrator that takes my place in your sex-life." Scully giggles at his response and holds his face in her hand.
"I love you so, so much." Her words make him smile sadly. He has never felt so strongly about someone in his life, and no one has ever felt so strongly about him. He is thankful to have her, and a simple "I love you" back could never do his feelings justice. But he says it anyway.
"I love you, too." Mulder stares at her chest like the dessert he has been pretending it to be. Deciding to move onto the whipped cream now, which was deliberately saved for last, he pushes the spout to the side and allows the fluffy cream to squirt out with a loud, airy sound.
He swirls the canister in his hand once finished with his half careful, half haphazard design. "Oh, my gosh," Dana gasps under her breath, her head whirling in a daze caused by forced patience. "Mulder…"
"Shhh." He strokes her face tenderly with his thumb and she kisses his palm. "Where do you keep the Maraschino cherries?" She raises her eyebrows at him and smiles. "Well?"
"I don't have any. I'm sorry," she sighs as he shrugs and sticks out a pouty lip. Staring at his lip, Scully feels her tongue licking her own. "But I do have something else…" She lowers her gaze, which he follows down her neck and past her collarbone.
"That you do," he confirms. He sees that she is still staring at his lips eagerly, so he offers his mouth whole-heartedly. Trailing tiny kisses down the same path her eyes had drawn earlier, Mulder finishes off the whipped cream. "I'm ready for this game to be over," he suddenly whispers, parting her thighs with his hand.
"Okay," she moans breathlessly and arches her back as his fingers enter her.
"You wanna take this to the bedroom where we have more room?"
"I don't think I could move if my life depended on it right now," she manages to say. Pulling his fingers back out of her, and watching in adoration as she whimpers in response, Mulder scoops her up into his arms and carries her to the bed.
"You are so beautiful," he murmurs into her ear, kissing it lightly. All she does is smile. It's all she has to do. He is completely ready for her, and she is so ready for him that it's all she can do to rub her thighs achingly together in hopes of easing her body's powerful yearnings. "Think I should make you wait longer?"
"If you try, you're gonna end up pinned to the bed for the rest of the night."
"You think that bothers me?" he grins.
"Of course not. Since when have you ever been the one on the top in this relationship?"
She giggles at his hurt expression and pulls his head down to hers. "I have had my masculine moments," he mutters after her kiss. "But I think that it would be fun if--"
Knock! Knock!
"Who could that be?" Dana wonders.
"I don't know. It's your apartment." Her sensations temporarily set on the back burner, Scully gets up and wraps her body in her silk robe. "I better stay here."
"Guess so, huh?" Walking into the living room, she calls, "Who is it?"
"It's me," answers a familiar male voice. OH SHIT! "Didn't Mom tell you I was in town?" he asks as she opens the door to reveal one Bill Scully, Jr.
"No," she squeaks. "Wh-wh-wh-why d-d-didn't--?" She stops talking and takes a deep breath, opting to start again rather than making herself sound anymore panic-stricken than she already has. "Why didn't you call first?" Her brother glances beyond her with suspicious curiosity, perhaps wondering what his secretive sister could possibly have to hide. "Bill?"
"I thought Mom had called for me. Besides, I knew you'd be home, so I thought it would be okay." Then he eyes her even more curiously. "Why? Is this a bad time?"
What could she say? Yes? And then what? He'd ask why, and she wouldn't have an adequate answer. I was just about to hop in the shower. He'd say, no biggie. I'll wait. What about I was just on my way out. Then he'd say, at this hour? Or Good, I'll go with you, and we could catch up. But surely she can't say no. Why did he have to visit now? Her mental whining is interrupted by him clearing his throat. "Uh, actually, yeah. It is. I'm sorry, Bill."
"Why? What are you doing that can't wait until later?"
What? Or who? Cringing at her own thoughts, Dana mentally slaps herself. "I just--"
"You okay?" he suddenly asks.
"Yeah. Why?"
"Looks like I interrupted one of your depressed binges. How much ice cream did you eat to go through all that topping?" She blushes, and Bill takes that as an answer, though she's not sure what he thinks the answer was. "And seriously, Dana, you've made a complete mess." He pushes past her, and she has to stop herself from having a conniption on the spot, trying desperately to close her bedroom door without raising even more suspicion while Bill examines the canister on the coffee table. "You got whipped cream all over the couch! How depressed are you? What happened? Was it that idiot partner of yours?"
That's responsible for my "depression" or the whipped cream…mostly whipped cream, anyway…on the couch? Again, she mentally slaps herself. "Bill, it's none of your business."
"None of my business? If he is making you depressed, then it's my business!"
Trust me, the man is not depressing me in the least… "Look, I don't want things to be like this. Maybe we should get together for lunch tomorrow…catch up then. How long are you here for?"
"I'm going back to San Diego tomorrow, and then I'll be back on the ship by Friday," he answers sadly. Dana pulls her robe more tightly around her, and the feeling of it rubbing against her skin reminds her of who and what are waiting for her in the next room. "I'm sorry it's such short notice, but I don't know why Mom didn't call."
"She probably just couldn't reach me. I haven't been home that much lately," she shrugs.
"Work's got you running around again, huh?"
"Kinda…but it's not like you're one to talk."
"I know, I know. Well, maybe we should make it breakfast tomorrow so that I can be at the airport on time." Dana offers an apologetic smile, which Bill forgives with a smile of his own. "Sound good?"
"Sounds great. See you tomorrow, then, at…what…eight?"
"Eight works for me. Any preference as to where? It's your city; you know what's good."
"BT's isn't bad."
"Alright then. BT's at eight."
"Yep."
"Okay…night, Dana."
"Night." She covers her face with her hands when the door clicks shut and rubs them down to her neck. I am getting way too old for this, she mutters silently. She returns to the bedroom where Mulder is under the covers and wrapped around a pillow with his eyes closed. "I wasn't even gone that long."
"Oh, I'm not asleep. Just waiting." He glances at the pillow and tosses it aside.
"Well, that's a relief. For a second there, I was worried you might have gotten tired of waiting for me as it was and had exhausted yourself on my bedding."
"Why? Did you hear any moaning?"
"Thank God no. That was Bill who dropped by." Mulder grimaces before chuckling to himself. "But he's gone now." She joins her partner in her bed and cuddles up close to him. "Now, where were we?"
"I believe we were…just…about…here," he says, making to position himself on top of her. "And you had just called me a girl."
"Oh…right," she grins. "In that case…" She sits up just enough to reach his lips with her own, and he pushes her back down to the bed. No more words are used that night; no more words are needed. And as they both reach their highs, he clutches her body closer to his than he ever has before. She kisses his forehead and fiddles with his fingers as he falls asleep, only to follow shortly behind.
The morning is beautifully crisp and colorful. Dana looks at the clock and sees she has a few minutes before she has to get up and start getting ready to leave. She never told Mulder about her date with her brother for breakfast, but that isn't a concern.
This has become their new routine, and other than unforeseen incidences such as last night, it seems to be flawless. Even Skinner no longer shows any suspicions…though she had never noticed them in the first place. Bless Mulder's adorable, paranoid heart, she chuckles quietly as she strokes his hair. Back into the groove of things, yes she continues to muse, but only we can accomplish that and this at the same time.
The End