Façade Chapter 3: Part III, a x-files fanfic

A/N
I know it's taking me longer to update, but I'm occupied with my exams, summer reading, and recently, Asian dramas. So, for making up for the long wait, this chapter is super long and hopefully, exciting.

Oh, and there are adult situations, but it's not too graphic.

Facade
Part III
Lady Sanna

BURJERÉ RESORT AND SPA
8:02 AM
SAN DIEGO, CA

"When Skinner said we were staying in a hotel, I didn't think he was talking about this hotel," Scully commented, her hand shading her eyes as she looked up at the tall, tan colored building.

"Well, he did say it was at least a four-star," he replied as he popped the trunk open and started taking out their bags.

The hotel stood ten stories high (not including the spacious, lobby area), had a simplistic yet elegant island vibe, and its landscape included exotic flowers as well as numerous palm trees that fanned out their great leaves across the lawns. Each room, from what Scully could see, had their own accessible balcony, complete with two chairs and a small table, overlooking the ocean which was right across the hotel. She nodded in approval of Skinner's choice.

When they checked in, Mulder received card keys to two rooms, most likely ones that were situated next to each other. "Wow, he even booked us different rooms. I mean, it's not like we're going to use the other one," Mulder said seductively, wagging his eyebrows up and down.

Scully rolled her eyes and smiled.

Once settled in their accommodating rooms, the two agents discussed how Scully was going to meet Mr. Jack Nolan and ultimately, have him fall in love with her at first sight. She groaned inwardly.

"Okay, Mulder, let's go over this one more time. I want to make sure I have it down right," she sighed.

He skimmed down his notepad, lightly tapped the end of his pen on the edge, and started. "What's your name?"

"Alexandria Wells, Alexa for short."

"Date of birth."

"May 21, 1964."

"And in what city did you grow up in?"

"New York City."

"Gotta love a Yankee woman."

"Mulder," she warned.

"Okay, okay." He scanned the page to find where he left off. "Um, what was your family like?"

CAFE ITALIANO
7:43 PM
SAN DIEGO, CA

'Why won't this woman shut up?' Nolan rested his head on his fist and stared blankly at the woman in front of him. He slightly rolled his eyes then looked down at his watch and huffed. It was going to be a long day.

"So, anyway, I have this girlfriend, well, okay, ex-girlfriend, and she's like, 'Oh. My. God. You did not just kiss my boyfriend.' And I was like, 'Uh, yeah, I did. What are you going to do about it, biotch?' So, then, we like totally went all out. I mean, we just went at each other's throats, you know?" She tilted her head to the side and raised her eyebrows so high that he couldn't see them underneath her perfectly, curled bangs.

"Oh, yeah, I definitely know what you're talking about," he responded, mockingly.

She smiled and chewed her bubble gum, grinding it between her semi-perfect teeth. "So, I like went catwoman on her, you know? Like-" She made claws with her hands and hissed like a feline. "Like that see?" She nodded eagerly.

Nolan raised an eyebrow and mentally slapped himself. Maybe he should recommend his psychiatrist to her. As soon as the bell rang, he sighed and silently thanked God. Unfortunately, his next date would be just as worse.

A dark-lipsticked woman with an equally dark wardrobe plopped down in the chair in front of him with a semi-blank look. She was the very epitome of a gothic girl. He smiled trying to lighten up the situation, but she didn't respond much and just huffed at his attempt. Well, at least he tried.

"So-"

"Shut up, I don't want to talk to you. You're not exactly what I would call, 'my type'," she spat, looking him straight in the eye which sent shivers up and down his spine.

His lips tightened and nodded, sitting back in his chair. This was more awkward than the time his mother caught him with a girl in his bedroom which inevitably led him to getting a place of his own. He tried to look around at something else, trying to avoid her emotionless gaze as he started to wring his wrists in anticipation for the signal to switch.

The girl studied him and small smirk formed on her dark lips. "The name's Wendy," she stuck out her hand.

Jack immediately stopped wringing his wrists and raised his eyebrow at the sudden friendliness from his gothic friend. Timidly, he shook her hand.

"Yeah, I hate my name, but," she shrugged. "Oh, and don't worry, I put on that act every time I meet someone here. It's sort of a test that I do. I hate it when people stereotype. I mean, it's not like all gothic people are cold-hearted and reserved," she explained.

'Okay, so maybe this wasn't going to be a bad date after all,' he said mentally.

They exchanged thoughts, got to know each other more, and started to like each other, but in a friendly way. To his surprise, when she smiled, he could see that she had turned her canines into fangs like that of a vampire. Unfortunately, before he could ask her about them, the bell rang and their conversation ended. She gave him another handshake and left to the person behind him.

Taking a sip of his drink, he sat back in his chair and took in a deep breath. He had been looking for a woman for a few months now and he couldn't find one lady that was suitable. There was always something that they hid and when revealed, he immediately fled. Once, he found out that one of his dates was actually a man. Never again, he thought.

Jack looked at his watch and wondered where his next date was. He leaned over to the side and saw a petite redhead, backing away, refusing to give the man her number. He pleaded and even went on his knees, but she kept on denying him.

"Please? Come on! I know you're the one! Please?" the man begged.

She shook her head, "Sorry, Ben, you're a nice guy, but I don't think so."

The man leapt at her feet and held on to her ankle, beseeching her with his puppy-eyed expression. Her eyes widened and she gave him a warning look of her own. Quickly, she pulled her foot from his grasp and turned around. As soon as Jack saw her face for the first time, his breath was caught in his throat. She was beautiful and she had something about her that could stop any man in his tracks. When she sat down, she apologized and introduced herself.

"Hi, I'm Alexandria Wells," she smiled warmly.

His heart skipped a beat at the sound of her voice and he was absolutely speechless. No wonder the other guy wanted her number so bad. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he stammered, "H-Hi, my name's J-Jack Nolan."

Once they knew a little bit about each other's background, they moved on to more conversational topics. He noticed that she was extremely smart and had a vast vocabulary for a woman who worked in Human Resources at a small company. She also talked about how she was a big Yankee fan and started naming off her favorite players and told him how she first got into baseball, thanks to her previous boyfriend.

The bell was hit, signaling the end of the Speed Dating session, and everyone got up either relieved or disheartened.

"Well, I guess that's it, then," Jack told her with a tight smile.

She breathed a yeah and appeared to be just as disappointed.

"Hey, um, do you think I could give you a call some time? I mean, it seems like we pretty much hit it off, don't you think?" he asked.

Her eyes lit up. "I thought you would never ask," she replied nervously.

She got a pen out from her bag, grabbed a napkin off the table, and scribbled her number on it. Then handing it to Jack, she said, "This is the number of the hotel that I'm staying at. You can just ask for me there."

He thanked her and they departed. Eyeing the napkin, he smiled, then carefully folded it and placed it in his pocket, knowing full well that he was going to ask her out for another date. Once he paid for his bill, he made his way around the crowd of people and into the men's restroom.

Inside, he checked to see if there was anyone else there besides himself and finding that he was alone, walked over to the sink and turned on the faucet.

"So, what do you think?"

"She's a good-looker for one," came the reply of his 'other'.

Jack looked up at the mirror, "Well, yeah, that's a given. But what do you think of her style, her personality, you know, that sort of thing?"

Nolan smirked, "Psh, I don't know, but what I do want to know is if she knows how to use those perfect, full lips of hers."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Is that all you care about? Seriously."

"Hey, hey, hey, you don't want someone boring do you?" He shook his head. "Come on, Jack, don't you want someone exciting for a change?"

"Well, not like what you're thinking," he retorted. "This is what I hate about you. All you want is women, money, and booze! Well, let me tell you something.. Life doesn't revolve around things like that. You just have no life, buddy. And that's why you don't want me to have one either."

His 'other' became enraged at the fact that Jack was treating him like some kid that he found off some street. He wasn't going to be looked down upon from him like that! Oh, no, he wasn't going to give up this fight. By the time, this Alexandria was within his clutches, he was going to take her away just like he did to the other women that Jack loved.

The two argued loudly, threatening each other, saying that they would rather die than remain in one body. They taunted, teased, and mocked that is until someone else walked in.

"Um, am I interrupting something?" The tall, brown-haired man asked, his eyebrow raised.

Jack jumped at the sound of another person's voice, and whipped around to see a man that he had seen before. Without a second thought, he recognized him as the one that begged for Alexandria's number.

"Oh, uh, no. Just practicing for an-" he quickly scanned his brain for an excuse, "a-audition! Yes, I was just practicing for an audition that I have later tonight." He smiled nervously, hoping that the man would just ignore him.

A tight smile spread across the man's lips. "I see, but isn't it a bit late for an audition?" he remarked as he made his way to the sink next to his.

Jack checked his watch. It was 9:43. "..Well, it's only for, um, special actors." He mentally slapped himself.

The other man only nodded in response. "So, what's your name?" he asked before Jack made another move.

He hesitated then told him his name and asked for his.

"Mul- I mean," Mulder cursed mentally, "-Ben Siegal." He stuck out his hand and Jack shook it. "So, I saw that you got Alexandria's number. Lucky you."

Jack smiled, "Yeah, but I'm kind of wondering why she didn't give it to a good-lookin' fellow like yourself."

Mulder shrugged. "Guess I wasn't her type." And with that, he hung his head and turned to leave the bathroom.

But before, his friend left his sight, he shouted, "Better luck next time, eh?"

Mulder turned around and gave him a reassuring nod, then left.

The next day, Scully received a call from Jack and of course, she accepted to meet him later that afternoon at an art gallery featuring masterpieces from various talented artists that were from Europe. After hanging up, she immediately told Mulder and the rest of FBI undercover team about her upcoming date. They wired her and tested the small, electronic devices to make sure that they were working correctly. Once her date arrived to pick her up, Mulder gave her hand a small squeeze and wished her luck.

About a week went by and Scully had a date every day, trying to gain Jack's trust each time and hoping that he would say or show something that they could use as incriminating evidence against him. Instead, they spent a lot of their time talking and laughing and she found herself enjoying these little conversations of theirs relaxing. It had been a long time since she had been on a real date and she admits that Jack was like a breath of fresh air for her. Besides the fact that he wasn't as handsome as say, her partner, his openness made up for everything that he lacked physically and she liked that about him.

However, all this talk about her new 'boyfriend' made an unexpected turn in her real relationship with Mulder.

BURJERÉ SPA AND RESORT
8:38 PM

Mulder stood outside on his balcony, leaning against the railing, and watching the ocean from a distance. It swayed, pulled back, and threw itself onto the edge of the beach, crashing into the sand and retracting, repeating this dance over and over again. The sound of the waves calmed and soothed him and he wondered maybe he should move nearer to the beach one day. The gentle wind ruffled through his hair and he let out a deep breath.

As soon as that thought came to his mind, he spotted Jack's car entering the parking lot and immediately withdrew to the shadows to avoid being seen. The last thing that Jack needed to know was that him and Scully, or Alexandria for that matter, were staying in the same hotel. It would arise great complications that they were not ready to face.

He watched as Jack stopped the car in front of the hotel entrance, got out and like a gentleman, he opened the door for Scully. She stepped out and thanked him, then gave him a small peck on the cheek as a goodnight and quickly headed inside. Jack watched her until she was out of sight, then jumped back into his car and sped off, obviously happy from the small affection that he received. He never felt so alive.

Once safe, Mulder stepped out from the shadows and into the moonlight, resuming his watch of the beautiful ocean before him. He was jealous, yes, he would admit that, but he couldn't tell Scully. She didn't need to have his troubles settle on her heart and distract her, ruining what they had both worked hard for. She needed to focus all her attention on Jack Nolan instead of the personal feelings of her partner. He felt a sudden pain within him, but he buried it just like he did with his other unneeded emotions.

Meanwhile, Scully hurried to their floor and up to her room. She changed out of her clothes, took a quick shower, and donned a soft, white cotton robe, tying it tightly around her waist. When she had gotten out of Jack's car, she spotted her partner watching them with a hurt expression across his usually calm face. Inside, she could hear him communicate to her and tell her that nothing was the matter and to just ignore him, but she knew something was up. With her hair now dry, she took a deep breath, and knocked on Mulder's door, peeking to see where he was.

"Mulder, may I come in?" she called out.

Scully received no reply, but entered his room anyway, closing the door behind her. Scanning the room, she spotted no sign of him, then looked out on the balcony and found him leaning against the railing. From where she was, she could see that he didn't change out of his suit, but his tie was loosened and his jacket thrown onto the chair next to him. And by looking at his face, she could tell that something serious was on his mind.

As she stepped onto the balcony, Mulder heard her and turned around, greeting her with a warm smile. "Hey, how'd the date go?"

Scully joined him by standing next to him, watching the ocean crash onto the beach. "It was great. We, ah, went to eat dinner at a nice restaurant, walked down one of those streets famous for their shops and lighted decorations, talked a bit, then came back here." She looked up at him. "What about you, Mulder? Did you do anything while I was gone?"

To tell the truth, he had been at the hotel the whole time, worrying about her and had even called the FBI team multiple times saying that if anything bad had happened to her to call him immediately. Good thing he didn't receive the call, otherwise he would've killed Nolan in an instant. With a composed voice he replied, "No, just stayed here and relaxed. I mean, how many times do we get a chance like this to watch the ocean from the west side of the US?"

She smirked and let out an even breath. "It really is beautiful out here isn't it?"

Mulder only nodded to her comment.

---

Ten miles away, Jack was whistling to a tune stuck in his head, pleased that his date went so well with Alexandria. Even, his 'other' was content with the whole relationship. As he drove along, he glanced over to the passenger chair and something lustrous caught his eye. Being careful, he reached over and brought it to eye level. It was the gold bracelet that he had given Alexandria and guessed that it must have slipped off when she got out of the car. With an exasperated sigh, he decided to turn the car around and head back to the hotel, hoping to return the bracelet before she went to sleep.

---

Back at the hotel, Mulder and Scully were simply enjoying each other's company in silence. They hadn't been together for a long while ever since Scully had been spending the whole day with her 'boyfriend'. They both missed each other's presence and their lively banter, but right now, they just remained quiet.

During this time, Mulder was arguing with himself whether or not he should tell her and after awhile of thinking of the possibilities, he just threw out everything and closed his eyes, hoping that this wouldn't end badly. "Scully?"

She jumped at the sudden sound of his voice. "Hm?"

"Do you like Jack?"

Her eyebrow raised at the abrupt interest in their suspect. "...I guess he's a pretty nice guy."

"Yeah? What do you like about him then?"

Scully thought a bit. "Well, he's outgoing, funny, and he's pretty smart. Why?"

He shrugged and undid his tie then threw it onto the chair with his jacket. "I, um, just noticed that you are a lot happier now than before. It's nice to see you smile, Scully," he cleared his throat.

"Ohh, Mulder, are you coming onto me?" she teased.

He chuckled, "Hey, that's my line remember?"

She gave him a small smile then turned back to watching the ocean.

"...Hey, Scully?"

"Yes, Mulder."

"What if this wasn't a case and you happened to meet Mr. Jack Nolan by chance and you two dated-," Mulder shifted uncomfortably then turned to face her. "...Would you have loved him?"

Scully's breath was caught in her throat. She wasn't exactly sure what to say or even think. Was Mulder jealous of her "relationship" with Jack? Yes, she did like him, but love? She wanted to shout at him for even thinking of such a notion, but she was completely speechless. After a few seconds of recollecting her thoughts, she took a confident step towards him, and grasped his hand in hers.

In earnest, she replied, "...Mulder, the only man that I will ever love... is the one who taught me to believe and who taught me what trusting really means."

Mulder's heart raced when he heard the words that he longed for come out of his partner's mouth. Now knowing the truth, he felt like the luckiest man in the world to have someone actually love him back. Tentatively, he placed his hand against the side of her face, his thumb caressing the smoothness of the apple of her cheek, and looked straight into her eyes. She gave him a small, nervous smile letting him know that it was okay and that she wasn't going to hold back. He returned the gesture and hesitantly lowered his head towards hers. Scully could feel the warmth of his breath that was gliding over her lips and she closed her eyes. Her partner took this as acceptance and he sweetly placed his lips on hers.

---

Down in the Burjeré parking lot Jack was searching for a parking space, still humming to the happy tune in his head. He couldn't wait for tomorrow's date. He had been planning a long time, even before he met Alexandria, to show someone who was of great importance in his life something that meant a lot to him. That someone he knew was going to be her for sure, he thought.

He smiled and instinctively, looked up toward her hotel room to see if he could see if her light was still on, but something greater caught his eye. His humming stopped and the tune that was once in his head evaporated. Quickly, he shut off his engine and slid onto the passenger's chair to get a better look. Was it him or were his eyes deceiving him? Squinting, he immediately recognized the two figures on the balcony. It was dark, but he was pretty damn sure that it was her and, to his dismay, another man.

---

Scully couldn't think at all as she tried to draw all of this in. They were breaking all kinds of rules and standards, but that didn't matter to her now. It was just her and Mulder and that's all that she cared about. She wrapped her arms around his neck as his dropped to her small waist and they brought their bodies closer, deepening the kiss.

He couldn't believe how soft her lips were against his own. Even in his dreams, he never imagined that it would be this amazing. Sure, he had kissed her before, but not like this. No, this was much different. When they parted, they were still entranced by what had just happened. Scully felt so elated and a little embarrassed like she just had her first kiss and Mulder chuckled at how shy she looked. He then took her hand and led her inside, closing the sliding glass door behind him.

Once done, he returned to Scully and captured her lips once more. At first, she was a little surprised by his suddenness, but nonetheless, she welcomed it. She could feel his hands undoing the knot that she had secured earlier around her robe and felt the soft cotton cloth slip off her shoulders, leaving her clad in her underwear. Mulder stepped back a bit and his eyes roamed her body.

"You are beautiful, Scully," he breathed.

She slightly smiled and Mulder drew her with him towards the bed. As they fell back upon the down pillows, she began to pull at his shirt. Soon enough, she could feel his warm body under her fingertips. His breath caught at the feeling and Mulder seized her lips with his own.

'My God,' she thought as he started to place tender kisses down her neck. It felt like everything that they had endured in the past was erased and all time had stopped. These were the moments that she longed for and now, it was finally happening. This wasn't her dreams, this was her reality.

She whispered his name and at the sound of her voice, he caught her lips once more in a fiery kiss.

There was nothing separating them now. It was just the two of them sharing what they truly felt without words. They knew that they were taking a huge leap in their relationship, but all they wanted was to finally face what they had feared. And as Mulder whispered words of love into her ear, their bodies collided.

"I love you, Mulder," Scully told him, her breathing irregular and uneven from exertion.

He lowered his head to hers, their foreheads touching and replied, "And I love you."

As Mulder drew the comforter around them, Scully wrapped herself around him, placing her head against his chest. She closed her eyes, listening to the rhythmic beating of his heart. Carefully, he moved an errant strand away from her peaceful face and placed a small kiss on the top of her head. Then closing his eyes as well, they both fell asleep in each other's arms.

---

Outside, in the darkness of night, Jack Nolan cried.

TO BE CONTINUED