Hey, thanks for the great reviews for my last couple of pieces! This one is in continuing with my series of one shots. Only difference is that this is set somewhere during the show (after the fifth season, but before Requiem). Lots of UST, as I'm sure you could guess by the title!

Also, tiny references to "War of the Coprophages", "Bad Blood", and FTF. Nothing in terms of spoilers, I think, just little in-jokes.

Chemistry

Scully sighed as the clock ticked mercilessly on towards midnight. She could not believe that she was here in the lab at this hour again for the third night in a row. Why am I putting myself through this? she wondered. There is no evidence whatsoever to support the claim that this sample is anything more than normal human blood. So why am I here?

She sighed again and shook her head. Why was she bothering to even ask the question? She knew why. It was because he had asked her to. It was always because of him.

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Four days ago, Mulder had stridden into the office bright and early (characteristically exuberant, as usual!). He had eagerly informed her that he had located proof of the existence of an alien-human hybrid. She, somewhat less enthusiastically, had laughed openly.

"Seriously, Mulder," she had said. "How can you really be so excited? We have found 'proof' so many times…"

"But this time, it's different!"

"You say that every time, too."

"Well, all those other times, I didn't have this!" At that, he had triumphantly removed a vial of what looked like blood from his jacket pocket.

"What is it?" she asked tiredly.

"It's blood."

"I figured that. What makes it special?"

"Get this: it's blood from said hybrid! It is real proof. It can be tested and used as concrete evidence that alien-human hybrids do exist."

At this announcement, Scully had realized his intention. And she was not happy about it. But she asked anyway. "And who exactly is going to run all the tests required to establish it as legitimate proof, Mulder?"

"Well, um…" He stammered slightly and the smile left his face. He looked almost wounded. "I had been thinking that you would, being my partner and all, and so invested in our mission, but if you really don't want to…"

"Of course I'll do it," she had found herself saying even as her mind screamed the antithesis. It was just something about that face, about him, that made her unable to deny him anything.

The smile had come back, and he continued, "Thanks a lot, Scully. Now, if you don't mind, I have a MUFON conference that I am forced to attend in Ohio. So, I'll see you in a week. Let me know what you find and feel free to call any time, I'll get back to you whenever I can. Good luck!"

Her mouth nearly dropped open as he placed the vial on the desk and left with a wave. How do I get myself into these things? she had wondered.

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She was considering the same question now as she was waiting for the substance to come out of the centrifuge, which would break it up into individual particles so that she could examine it more closely. Normally she wouldn't mind this, she actually enjoyed lab work for the most part, but the lateness of the hour was beginning to have its effects on her and she wanted to go home.

Due to case overload and her need for privacy, she had had no choice but to work late nights in the lab. So far, everything had come back slowly and inconclusive, which did not help her mood in the least.

She felt depressed and alone, with the ticking of the wall clock the only source of noise save the occasional passing of a custodian down a dark hallway somewhere in the building.

She whirled around as she heard the door suddenly whir open and grasped for the nonexistent weapon by her hip.

Mulder took in her panicked expression with surprise. "Hey, Scully, it's okay. It's just me. Mulder, remember?"

She gave him a hard look. "Jesus, Mulder, you scared me half to death. No one else is here at this hour, so I had gotten used to being completely alone."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Wait, so you mean you really have been looking into this thing? Alone? For me?"

"Yes, yes, and, well, for us. For our work, I mean," she amended, not wanting to unintentionally imply anything more.

"Find anything?"

"No, not yet. I still have a couple more tests to run, though. In fact, this one now should be done, at least partially, any minute now."

"Good, good." He looked thoughtful. "Thank you, Scully, really. I know I don't say this often, but I really appreciate the fact that you would do this for me. No one else would."

"Oh, it's not a problem – I mean, it is my job, after all."

He met her eyes, and they both silently acknowledged the falsity of this statement, but neither made a comment and the moment passed.

Scully finally got the chance to take in her partner's appearance. His form-fitting clothes were rumpled as if he had just gotten in from a long night. His hair, which he was allowing to grow longer again, was tousled and he sported a little bit of stubble on his otherwise untainted cheeks.

On any other man it would have been off-putting to her, but for some reason on Mulder it was immensely attractive.

Shaking her head slightly to put a halt to this train of thought, she asked in what she hoped was a normal tone, "So, I thought your conference went until tomorrow?"

"Well, there was a little problem."

She gave him a skeptical look. "Define little."

"More than little, I guess. The place was raided. Most of us were searched. Rather roughly, I have to say," he added ruefully, rubbing his head.

"Are you okay?" Concern took over, and she stepped close to him and softly ran her fingers through his hair, checking for any bumps or bruises.

"I'm fine. Just your average government encounter."

"What were they looking for?" she asked, reluctantly bringing her hands back to her side while remaining firmly in place.

"That." He gestured towards the vial in the machine, which had just begun to simmer.

Scully heard the bubbling noise, and turned to look at it. "Oh my God." She moved quickly to the counter and removed the sample from the machine, eagerly placing it under the microscope as she examined it with a trained eye. Mulder came up behind her, standing so close that she could feel his breath on her neck. She breathed in and continued studying the blood, trying her best to act as if she was not in the least distracted by his proximity to her.

"So," he asked. "What do we have here?"

"Well, this reaction is highly abnormal. Don't get too excited yet – it's not conclusive proof of alien-hybridization or anything, but it is definitely a start. The rest of the blood should be ready for examination later tomorrow, so…"

She turned her head over her shoulder to face him. "I really think that we could be onto something here Mulder."

He nodded his head. "Great."

They were whispering now, so close that they seemed to be sharing the same breath.

Scully was suddenly overcome with the feeling that the rest of the world was rushing around her, totally separate. Her own world had narrowed to right here, these two people, electricity flowing between them and tiny wildfires igniting in their eyes.

She felt as if she was losing control. Abruptly, she turned her head away from him and, trying her hardest to control the slight wavering in her voice, said, "Uh, yeah. It is great."

Oh, that sounded brilliant. What is wrong with me? Do something constructive to break the tension here! her mind screamed.

"So, Mulder, want to take a look?"

"Sure."

Once again, he managed to surprise her. Instead of backing away or moving around her, he moved forward, placing his hands on the table on either side of her.

Scully felt that spark again shoot through her as his nicely toned body pressed against her back. She swallowed hard and bent forward with him to examine the specimen.

"Can you explain this? What do we have here?"

Is it just me, or does that have a double meaning? God, why is this man having such an effect on me? He is my partner, I can't… I shouldn't feel like this.

"Um, well, in this magnification you can't see it as well, but if you turn it up, you can see these miniscule green particles. They only come out after a long spin in the centrifuge. Again, it's not conclusive, but it's a start."

He rose back up, moving away from her slightly. "Scully, that's amazing. It really is. I am so grateful to have you here doing that for me. But, I think we both know that there's something else going on here."

For once, she actually hoped that he was referring to life on another planet or a man-eating mutant. Anything to put off this discussion for even a little while longer.

"You know," he was saying. "I wasn't just talking about the sample. But if that's how you want to respond…"

She turned to face him, already missing his warmth and startled by his words. "No, Mulder, I can't explain. I'm not sure what we have here, exactly."

She looked up and met his gaze. "I've been trying to figure it out for the past six years. More, maybe. But I can't do it."

"By this point, I'd think you had given up on the belief that there's a concrete explanation for everything."

"Most things do, you know…"

"But sometimes, there are things that can't be explained scientifically. Sometimes, you just have to take that leap and believe."

"I don't know if I can."

"But…"

Mulder paused. He knew very well that he could stop now, back away, and the next day they would act as if nothing had happened. Hell, nothing had actually happened, had it now? There was just this dynamic between them. It always existed, but tonight it seemed nearly tangible. He looked at her, and realized that he could not back away now. Instead, he stepped closer to her.

Before she knew it, his arms were around her again, his hands firmly grasping the lab table behind her. This time, however, there was no turning away.

"Mulder…" she began, trailing off as she realized that she had nothing to say.

"Scully, I'm willing to take the leap. I think it's worth it. Do you?"

She just looked at him, eyes shining with something that couldn't be placed. She wanted this so badly, but at the same time she wasn't totally ready to abandon the logic and order that had guided her life for so long.

He tentatively reached forward and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, letting his hand linger on her cheek.

Unconsciously, she moved closer, stepping into his arms, which closed around her. She fell into his flashing hazel eyes, and suddenly logic seemed to matter a whole lot less.

He leaned his head nearer to her until their breaths mingled. She braced her hands against his chest and tilted her head towards his, slowly blinking her eyes. He didn't move.

She looked at him in confusion, then read the look on his face. He wanted this, she could tell, but he needed her to say that she did, too.

Breathing in shakily, she said in a near whisper, "I think that I'm finally ready to leap." There was certainty in her eyes despite the fluttering of her heart.

She saw a smile flick across his face before closing her eyes.

His lips brushed hers, and she felt as if they were flying, as if this was right, as if they just might find proof and save the world, as long as they were together. And maybe…

A door suddenly slammed open and they sprang apart in a split second, trying rather unsuccessfully to look occupied in something else. A confused custodian peered in at them, coughing.

"Um, sorry, but I really need to clean this room now. It can't wait – I've heard that there is a bug problem in here and I have to spray." He apologetically proffered a container of "Die, Bee, Die!".

Mulder bit his lip and tried not to curse. As they exited the room, he couldn't help but mutter about "damn bees".

Scully laughed softly once they were outside. She couldn't help it. He raised an eyebrow at her, and she said, "What are the odds? Really, what are they? We just have some serious problems with bees, I guess."

He looked at her for a moment, then joined in her laughter.

"Hey," he said, when they had both clamed down slightly. "Last I checked my home was bug free. Want to come along?"

He looked serious now, despite the seeming lightness of the moment. She knew that, once again, he was asking far more than what was on the surface. And finally, she felt firm in her decision. "Yes, I'd like that."

Smiling, he put his arm around her and led her toward the car.

"So, we'll get the proof tomorrow?" she queried, not quite content to let their mission fall completely by the wayside in light of recent events.

"Yeah," he agreed. "We can come back and see then. You'll have your scientific evidence, I guarantee you."

"That will be rewarding to finally obtain, I have to say. But I think I've been forgetting some words said by one of my favorite people."

"Yours truly? Why, Scully, I'm flattered."

She mock slapped his arm and continued, "I meant Albert Einstein. He once said that 'the most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious.'"

Mulder stopped and turned to face her, looking thoughtful. "You'd concur?"

"I may not have before, but now… I'd have to say so."

He smiled and resumed stroking her cheek. "Well, it's definitely one of the most beautiful things…"

He leaned down to kiss her again. She pulled her arms around his neck and leaned into him, savoring the kiss and never more happy that she had decided to forgo science.

For now, she'd just work on chemistry.

Thanks for reading. I tried really hard to push the UST to the max here, let me know how you think I did. Review!

Also, FYI, I'm considering starting a new multi-chapter story about time travel, which will be a romance/adventure type thing. Tell me if you'd be interested in reading that, too.