Disclaimer: No whatever. Yada yada yada

A/N: Thank you, thank you for all the reviews! I (we …) just had to throw the "bust" in because it was …. well… funny!

Sorry I'm so late on posting this chapter, but my computer bit the big bazooka and I had to just give in and buy another one.

Chapter 13

The outside temperature was deceptively warm as snow fell delicately to the ground. The large snowflakes covered the bushes, outlining the deck like a lace tablecloth. Scully walked across the deck slowly, arms crossed at her chest. She shivered slightly as the night chill penetrated her thin shirt. Where's Mulder with those towels? she thought to herself as she stalled on her approach to the hot tub. She rounded the corner of the deck and discovered the guests from across the hallway, Janna and Josh, laughing quietly in the hot swirling water.

"Dana… hi!" called Janna from within the steam. "Going to join us? The water is great."

"Yeah, I am… I'm just waiting for my friend. " Scully remarked hesitantly. She looked back to the sliding glass door for a sign of Mulder's arrival.

"Well, no since standing out there shivering. Come on Get in!" called Josh. He slid over to sit on the seat closer to Janna. "You can take your shirt off. I promise not to look." He turned his head and shielded his view with his hand. Janna put her hand up to block his vision as well.

Scully looked back at the house, still looking for Mulder. Then she shrugged her shoulders and removed her jeans and shirt. Dressed only in her panties, she covered her breasts modestly with her arm and walked over to step into the tub.

"Here, let me help you," Janna said as she stood and took Dana's hand. She couldn't help but notice the deep bruising on her ribs and tried not to stare. "Josh, close your eyes."

"My eyes are closed, I promise," he pleaded. "Not that it would matter, I am a doctor, you know."

Scully settled into the hot water and took a seat across from Janna and Josh. She covered her breasts with her arm again, not quite believing that she was sitting topless in a hot tub with two strangers. It gave her a sensual feeling. . "I'm a doctor, too. What's your specialty?"

"Emergency Medicine… and yours?"

"Forensic Pathology," Scully replied as she repositioned herself against a jet. She heard the glass door on the deck glide open, and was relieved to see Mulder walking over with two thick towels and their bathrobes.

"Ahh, very interesting. Do you work at a hospital?"

"No, I work for the FBI as an investigator," Scully replied, eyeing Mulder as he walked up. "This is my partner, Fox Mulder."

The introduction caught Mulder with his pants down, literally. He looked up as he tried to balance on one foot while pulling his jeans off. "Hi," he replied sheepishly. "Nice to meet you."

Josh, Janna and Scully all broke out in laughter. "That's a hell of an introduction," Josh laughed. "Put your towels and robes in the warmer and join usget in!"

Mulder stowed the towels and climbed into the tub dressed in nothing but his boxers. He settled into the seat next to Scully and positioned his back against one of the jets, relaxing into its pounding pressure.

"What kind of work does the FBI do in Galena?" Janna ventured as she scooted closer to Josh.

"Yeah, there can't be much crime in this sleepy little town," Josh added.

"Just drunks," Mulder mumbled under his breath. "I'm working a case in the Quad Cities. Dana," Mulder replied glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, "is resting this week." He looked over at her and winked. "We were involved in a car accident on our way here and she's on doctor ordered sick leave."

He's right, it sounds weird when he calls me Dana, Scully thought, quietly absorbed in her own thoughts and oblivious to the conversation around her. She was finally feeling comfortable with her near nudity around strangers. She felt Mulder grab her hand and lace his fingers around hers.

"Oh, that explains your bruising," Janna ventured.

"Yeah," Scully replied slowly after Mulder jabbed her in the leg, pulling her back into the conversation. "I had a close encounter with the steering wheel."

"Ouch!" Josh commented. "Well, sitting in the hot tub is a sure fire way to get over aches and pains."

"Josh," Janna blurted out. "I forgot to tell you, Dana had a 'Betty experience' last night.

Scully closed her eyes and shook her head. Not the Betty thing again, she thought. She glanced over at Mulder and caught the smug expression on his face.

"No way," Josh exclaimed. "What happened?"

"It was nothing," Scully replied, trying to downplay it.

"Oh, that's not what you said this morning," Janna replied shaking her head.

"That's not what you said to me on the phone," Mulder chimed in.

Scully just stared at him in disgust. Thanks for the support, partner.

"Come on," Josh teased. "What happened?"

Scully rolled her eyes and looked over at Josh. "I thought I heard someone knock on my door, but there was no one there." She looked at the man and watched him nod his head with a huge grin on his face.

"And," Mulder prompted from the peanut gallery.

"And I walked into the hall because I thought I saw someone at the top of the stairs, but it must have been a shadow," she replied and shot Mulder a glaring look.

"Oooo, you're giving me goose bumps," Janna cooed. Josh put his arm around her shoulders.

"Scully, tell him about what happened tonight," Mulder prompted her again. Scully shot him another look and then gave in because she was out numbered.

"I was in the living room earlier and I thought I felt something touch me," she replied and shook her head. "It's probably just a side effect of my medication."

Josh laughed and looked upward in thought. "That's funny; I don't remember ghost sightings as a side effect of muscle relaxers." He laughed heartily. "Well, if it's any consolation, last year I had a conversation with her in the living room."

"Really," Mulder said leaning forward a bit. This ghost talk is turning me on again, he thought, and slid closer to Scully. He ran his hand over her leg and up the side of her thigh. In turn, she reached stealthy fingers beneath the hem of his boxers.

"Yeah, we had been skiing all day and Janna was knocked out. I couldn't sleep and came down to sit in front of the fireplace. It was about 11:30. The fire was just starting to go out and the room was all warm and quiet. I was sitting in a chair off to the side and I heard a noise behind me, but I didn't turn around. It's an old house, and… you know, it makes noises. Then a woman asked how I was doing," Josh replied and nodded his head. He waved his hand around to tell his story. "So I answered, you know … bla bla bla… been skiing, tired can't sleep. Then she said that I should get some tea out of the pantry and put on some water. I thought about it for a minute and decided that it might me relax. me, so I got up. I asked her if she wanted any and there was no answer. I turned around and nobody was behind me. The room was completely empty. It totally gave me the creeps."

Mulder sat back against the tub and laughed with the man. "Oh, that's cool." Under the water, he had hooked a finger under Scully's panties, and began stroking her lightly.

"The house legend is that she is 'match maker'" Josh continued. "Joe told us last year that she died in her late thirties from a broken heart. So the rumor is she makes it a point to ensure her guests leave here happy and in love."

"Yeah, it worked for us, because we had been fighting pretty much the whole day, but when he came back to the room … we spent a lot of time … snuggling," Janna commented, giving Josh that look, "which reminds me, I'm ready for some more now."

"Okay, sweets," Josh replied, and stood up in the tub. "Nice meetin' you. Maybe we'll see you at breakfast." Josh helped Janna climb out of the tub and grabbed their towels from the warmer. Once they were wrapped up, they made their way to the house.

Scully reached over and slid her hand down the waistband of Mulder's boxers as soon as they stepped out of the Jacuzzi. She was surprised to find him firm. She started stroking him and watched as he tilted his head back against the headrest. As soon as the other two were safely out of sight, Scully slipped off her panties and threw them onto the deck. Mulder eyed her mischievously. Her aggressiveness surprised him and sent chills down his arms. He quickly followed suit and then pulled her onto his lap.

Scully giggled quietly as she placed soft kisses on the side of his neck. She nibbled on his ear lobe and then whispered to him," There's always a chance we'll get caught again."

'I'm willing to take that chance," he replied, voice husky with desire. "Are you?"

She never answered verbally, instead trailing her lips across his face and settling them on his mouth. They shared a deep kiss as he ran his hands down her back and cupped her firm curves in his palms.

He rubbed himself against her, feeling the warmth between her legs and took her breast into his mouth. Scully pulled his head into her and moved her hips against him until he pushed himself into her. Her breath caught in her throat as the water jets pushed against her causing resistance to his penetration. She tilted her head back and moaned softly as her body adjusted to his girth.

"Mulder," she cried, taking quick short breaths. Her voice was shaking, and her whole body was trembling.

He pushed back from their embrace and looked into her eyes. "Am I hurting you?" he asked, concerned that he was taking things too fast.

"No," she gasped as she settled on him. "Go slow." She looked down at him with her lower lip jutted out, brief exhalations escaping from her mouth.

I love that pouting look, Mulder thought as he looked up at her. Scully was rocking against him rhythmically with a concentrated look in her eyes. Ripples of pleasure overcame Mulder as he rested his head on the back of the tub. Go slow, go slow, Mulder mumbled to himself, feeling the friction overtaking him. He blew air hard through his lips and then jutted out his lower jaw to bite his upper lip.

Mulder ran his hands gently over her curves and cupped her breasts firmly. As he applied pressure to her nipples, Scully moaned and cried out, closing her eyes as pleasure flooded over her. He continued to apply pressure with one hand while sliding the other to her hip. He pulled her closer to him, trying to slow her down. He felt her open up inside and he pushed himself deeper into her, which caused a louder cry to escape her lips.

The still of the night settled around them. The only sounds to be heard were the hum of the jets swirling the water and the splashes as the water lapped the side of the tub. Steam escaped the water and enveloped the couple in an eerie fog.

Scully opened her eyes and looked around, caught in the surreal moment, snow falling lightly on the deck around her, the hot mist protecting them from the cold. It's winter, I'm outside, with sweat dripping off my chin, naked, and straddling the man that I love, she thought as she bit her lip and ran her hands through Mulder's hair. She rode him harder, putting more pressure on the place deep within her that triggered her wildest thoughts. He assisted in her movements, one hand on her hip, the other resting in the small of her back as she rocked on top of him. She watched his reaction as her breasts bounced in front of his face, felt the tension as he gently bit her nipples.

She watched the pleasure cascade over his face as he tilted his head back, closing his eyes, clenching his teeth, exhaling hard through his lips. He opened his eyes and locked onto her gaze. His dilated pupils warned her his time was near. He reached up with one hand and pulled her head closer to his, whispering her name as their lips met and he kissed her in a frenzy. He reached behind her, and pushed her close to him, holding her still against him.

Slow down, Mulder whispered to himself. He tried to gain control of the euphoria as it teased him. He was losing the battle. The moment was too hot for him. The cool air of the night, the steam from the water, the heat generated from Scully all was pushing him to his limit. He tried to distract himself by drawing her into a deep kiss, but it was pointless. Scully's breasts teased him as they danced lightly over his skin. The curves of her body taunted him, and he couldn't keep his hands off of her.

His sudden frantic thrusting hit her like the opening of the flood gates and pushed her over the edge. They both cried out with the intensity of their simultaneous release. . Afterwards, Scully continued to move her hips over him. He grabbed her again to stop her, his eyes closed, teeth still clenched.

"Scully …stop. Don't move!" he panted. "I can't …."

"Mulder," she cried. "I .. ahhh… can't get enough of you…"

Mulder opened his eyes as he felt Scully find release again. He looked up at her as she gasped quietly above him. He tilted his head back again and closed his eyes.

"Aw fug…." he mumbled as he felt himself go limp. He didn't want this moment to be over. He was afraid that he would wake up to find it a dream. He felt her lips upon his and he kissed her back lazily. He opened his eyes as he felt her lift herself off of him, and found her standing in front of him. There are those eyes again. How can she possibly still be aroused? he thought as he sagged against the side of the tub. He noticed the jets had turned off, and wondered how long they had been silent.

"Mulder," she whispered as the night air hardened her nipples again. "Take me to bed or lose me forever." A mischievous grin adorned her face.

Mulder rolled his eyes and looked at her like she was deranged. What… is she crazy? I couldn't go again right now if my life depended on it. "I'll take you to bed, Scully," he replied. "But you might have to wait a little for the next act."

"I'm going to hold you to that," Scully replied, and climbed out of the hot tub. Mulder followed her…slowly.

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Scully had rolled restlessly in her sleep for over an hour and finally turned to face her nemesis. She found him sleeping soundly next to her. As she gazed at his slumbering form, she reflected silently: He's dead. I killed him. Like a warrior on the battlefield standing triumphantly over his enemy, I lie next to him knowing that I've outlasted and outwitted him. He has no one to blame but himself. He attacked me during my sleep, waking me from my slumber with his probing tongue, marking my center with his scent. His stamina had improved since our previous two encounters, but in the end, despite satisfying me multiple times, he lost his resolve to beat me and succumbed to the pressure.

I lie here now, looking at this man who started this journey as my partner and ended it as my mate, and wonder … why the hell is he sound asleep and I'm wide awake? Why is my body suddenly on overdrive, unable to be satisfied by the one who willingly plants his seed inside of me…not once, mind you, but multiple times in the past 6 hours? I'm scared at the prospect of our future together … only because I'm suspicious that somehow his insomniac tendencies have worn off on me. I fear that I will find myself up at night watching black and white science fiction movies and sleeping on the couch, while he is resting comfortably in my bed, waiting for me to join him.

Scully rolled off the bed and shuffled into the bathroom. She sat on the toilet and rested her head in her hands. Why can't I sleep? she wondered helplessly? She had been lying wide awake next to Mulder for the past hour. He was out cold, face down on his pillow with his naked behind stickingbehind sticking up in the air. She had watched him sleep for over thirty minutes, hoping his rhythmic breathing would lure her into sleep. But…no… here she was at 4 a.m., wide awake. Scully stood by the sink, splashing cold water on her face. She brushed her teeth and swished mouthwash around for a few seconds before deciding to venture down to the kitchen for some hot tea. She wrapped herself in the bathrobe, pulled on a pair of Mulder's socks, and quietly let herself out of the room.

The house was still and dark, lit only by the moonlight streaming in the windows. Scully made her way down the stairs and padded noiselessly into the kitchen. Zack had left the light on above the stove and the herbal tea bags on the counter for her as he promised. She poured water into a cup and placed it in the microwave for a minute. When the machine beeped that it was done, she added just a little milk and dunked her tea bag into it.

Scully stood in the kitchen for a moment waiting for the tea to seep from the bag and pulled the collar of the robe closer to her. The house creaked and groaned as the wooden frame settled in the cold. She jumped slightly as the house cat walked defiantly into her space and rubbed himself against her leg, protesting softly about being awakened from his sleep. "Sorry, buddy," Scully whispered to him as she leaned over and scratched his head. He meowed softly a few more times, as if accepting her apology, and then crawled quietly back into his bed.

Scully walked out of the kitchen and headed for the living room to relax and drink her tea. She settled between the wide arms of a winged back chair that faced the bay window toward the street. She sipped the tea and relaxed into its warmth while watching the light snowfall in the street.

A noise from behind the chair startled Scully and she blinked several times. Geezus, I must have fallen asleep, she thought as she straightened up in the chair and tried to shake the cobwebs from her mind. She heard a footfall behind her and froze in her seat, listening quietly for another sound. It must be the cat, she thought to herself when she failed to hear anything else.

"It wasn't the cat," a female voice said from the corner of the room.

The sound paralyzed Scully in her seat. She snapped her head around the side of the chair in an attempt to identify the sound.

"Don't break your neck," the female cackled. "You might as well stop trying to look around because there isn't much to see."

Scully stood up from the chair and scanned the room quickly, but saw nothing to account for the voice. She reached to tighten the belt of the robe when the voice spoke to her again.

"Oh, my God … you aren't going to pull a gun from under that robe are you? I forgot you played cops and robbers with my nephew."

"I'm dreaming," Scully said aloud, trying to convince herself that she was asleep.

"You aren't dreaming," the female replied flatly and sighed impatiently.

Scully set her cup on the end table and rubbed her eyes. She scanned the room again and saw nothing. As she turned back toward the window, she saw a shadow in the corner near the rocking chair.

"Mulder?"

There was no verbal response in the room, although Scully was sure she could hear another deep sigh coming from the corner.

"Is someone there?" Scully asked as she stepped around behind the chair.

"Finally, some acknowledgement… yes, there is someone here. Well, at least in spirit," the voice replied.

"Who are you?" Scully ventured, still not believing that she was actually awake.

The voice laughed, "Ha, you have to ask? It's Betty."

Oh Geezus, not the Betty thing again, Scully thought to herself as she rolled her eyes. "Betty?" she questioned aloud. "You're kidding, right?"

"God, do I wish I was kidding. Why, my dear Ms Dana, do you find it so hard to believe?"

Scully looked around the room, searching for a sign of someone … Janna … Nan…Kath…Kelly… there was no one to account for the voice. She stammered over her words. "How do you know my name?"

"Just because I'm dead doesn't mean I don't know how to read the register," the voice replied sarcastically. "Now, why it is that you don't believe in … ghosts?"

I …. ahhh…I'm….a scientist."

"Well, what do you think happens to people when they die, then? We just don't lay in the ground. It's cold down there."

"I…. ahh… I don't know what I believe," Scully replied reluctantly.

"Well, that's obvious…. Just like you still have doubts about your partner's feelings for you," the voice replied curtly.

"I don't have doubts about Mulder's feelings," Scully retorted defensively.

"Yes you do, otherwise you would be upstairs sleeping next to his handsome form, not sitting down here in the dark talking to me," the female said flatly. "I'm the resident counselor around here, you know. All the guests come down here at night to talk to me about their problems. "

Scully laughed when the female said that. "I thought that was Joe's job."

"He talks to them during the day. It runs in the family," she chuckled. "So… about your partner…"

Scully chuckled, another interrogation? First I get it from Tracy, then Mulder, and now a ghost. "I don't doubt his feelings for me," she replied. "I just thought I wanted something different."

"Like, what …?" the female prompted from the corner.

Scully laughed. "Like… I thought I wanted something normal, because life with him will be far from that."

"Pfft …. Normal. What a crock! Well, take it from someone who died an old maid… I thought I wanted something normal too and just ended up with nothing but regrets," Betty replied. "It is foolish to deny yourself the man that holds your heart. Normal is in the eyes of the beholder. What is normal to me, is not for you."

The phrase jarred her memory of the discussion she had shared with Joe in this same room, over two days ago. The definition of 'normal' is fairly subjective, he had said. She shook her head and smirked at the irony, Mulder filled her life with excitement and energy in the never ending pursuit of the truth. Their daily routine was "normal" in a sense, at least to her, and to be without it would be … weird. The normal she thought she wanted … well, that normal was a little too boring for her tastes.

"What are you thinking about Ms Dana?" Betty asked from her corner.

"I was thinking what this trip has meant to me. When I first got here I almost died and now …." she paused a moment before continuing. "I've found something I wasn't expecting." She closed her eyes and shook her head. She felt a wisp of clothing touch her neck and felt warmth upon her face.

"I think the non-believer in you died in that icy pond," Betty replied softly. "And the woman that stands before me finally knows the truth."

Scully turned to reply to the voice behind her and felt a pocket of cool air envelop her. The shadow was gone from the corner, leaving the rocking chair swaying quietly on its rails. Scully stood silently by the chair until the air began to warm and then quietly replied, "I think you're right Betty."

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Mulder was coming out of the bathroom when Scully returned to the room. He looked over at her as she quietly closed the door, and eyed her cautiously.

"Where have you been, Scully?" he asked as he crawled back into the bed and beckoned her to join him.

Scully pursed her lips for a second and then looked him dead in the eye. He's not going to believe this, she thought as she formulated her answer. "Talkin' to Betty." She steeled herself for his response.

Whoa, what did she say? Now who's playing mind games? "Betty, Driscoll's Aunt?" Mulder questioned. A grin crawled across his face. Whew, that's a turn on, he thought and wished specific parts of his anatomy would respond in kind.

"Yes, Mulder," Scully replied running her tongue over her lip. "And I know what you're thinking…"

"I'm not thinking anyth …. Well, I'm thinking that you're turning me on, but…" He paused a moment and laughed. "I can't believe that you would actually admit to having a conversation with Betty. What did you talk about?"

Scully crawled into the bed like a cat and curled into "her" spot against Mulder's chest. "We were talking about you, actually," Scully replied softly. It almost sounded like a purr coming from her throat.

"What about me?" he asked sleepily as he wrapped his arms around her.

Scully smiled for a moment as the conversation replayed in her head. "We were talking about how much I love you."

Mulder felt his heart skip a beat as he heard the actual words come out of her mouth. She had given herself to him tonight and shown him what her feelings were, but none of those things compared to the actual words. He felt warmth across his cheek and buried his face in her hair.

"I love you, too, Scully," Mulder said as he kissed the back of her neck.

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Betty stood at the end of the bed and watched the couple fall asleep in each other's arms. She walked to the side, and pulled the blanket and comforter over their bodies, and then quietly walked through the door and into the hallway.

"Well, my work is done," she said, brushing her palms together as if brushing the dirt from them. "Operation Betty is complete."

TBC – yeah, don't worry… its not over yet.