CHAPTER 2

When they reached the bike, Mulder handed Scully her helmet and turned to put on his own. He stowed the blanket and left-over snacks in a saddlebag and climbed on, then shifted forward to let Scully climb on behind him.

"You'd better tuck your hands under my jacket again, so your fingers don't freeze." His tone was teasing but as he spoke he pulled her fingers up under his jacket, making sure her hands were secured before he started the bike. Scully didn't respond, she just snuggled her hands into his abdomen and settled in for the ride.

They were quickly on the road. Mulder took a couple of spins through the back roads again before heading to the highway to take Scully home. She breathed a sigh of regret as they approached her apartment. She didn't want the night to end. Sometimes it was so hard to do the right thing.

Mulder pulled the bike up to the curb and parked it, hopped off, then turned to help Scully dismount. She handed him the helmet and said, "Thanks for asking me to go with you. I really had a good time." She tried to sound cheerful, to hide the sadness she was feeling. "Stop being such a baby," she told herself. Why did she feel so depressed? This was absurd, not at all like her.

Mulder grabbed her arm and steered her toward the door, saying, "I'm walking you to your apartment. You never know who or what might be waiting for you in there." He grinned to show her he didn't expect any danger. Mulder couldn't quite say goodnight just yet. This way he could stretch it out a little longer.

When they reached her door, Scully dug her keys out of her jacket and unlocked it. She turned to face Mulder, wondering nervously if he was going to try and kiss her. Suddenly this really felt like a date, or rather, like the end of a date, a really good date. Was he going to kiss her? Did she want him to? Should she let him? When did life get so complicated?

Mulder stood in front of her, studying her face. It seemed like a million emotions were flooding there, mirroring the chaos rolling around in him. He considered kissing her. Do you suppose she'd let me? he asked himself. Then he wondered if he should. Rules at work discouraged such things. But he really wanted to. Why was this so hard?

Scully quickly squished down her emotions and took control of the situation. She pushed her door open and moved to step inside. "Have a good night, Mulder. Don't fall asleep on the ride home! Thanks again for asking me to go with you. It's been a long time since I've had so much fun. This was really good for me." On a whim she added, "Can you call me when you get home? I'd like to know you made it safely."

A smile crossed Mulder's face as he realized he's just been saved from making a really hard decision. "Yeah, I'll call you. You don't need to worry about me, though. I'm not tired at all." As he finished speaking a huge yawn forced itself out and Scully laughed at him.

"Yeah, you aren't tired at all. I'm not staying up too much longer so you go straight home and call me. I don't want to lay awake worrying about you being in an accident!" Scully gently pushed him down the hall, toward the door. Mulder did what she wanted, figuring he'd better make his escape now, before he was tempted to do something that would get him in trouble.

"Okay, good night. I hope you sleep well. I'll see you on Monday." He went to the outside door and looked back to see her staring after him. Mulder shot her a smile and was pleased to receive one in return. Yeah, this was a good way to end the evening. He smiled again as he left the building.

Scully watched him go, enjoying one last glimpse of his tight jeans as he left. One thing was certain, he was a babe. She'd often noticed how his Armani suits fit him so well, but she didn't usually get to see him in street clothes. Mmmm. Nice butt!

Shaking her head at her own thoughts, Scully went into her apartment and locked the door behind her. The remains of her popcorn and tea dinner were still sitting on the coffee table. She smiled as she thought about how differently the night had turned out, considering the way it started. Gathering up the food and disposing of it in the kitchen, Scully moved to the bedroom to get ready for bed.

Fox Mulder headed for home, all the while thinking good thoughts about his partner. He'd had such a good time tonight. And he'd almost kissed her. His partner. He still wanted to kiss her. He wanted to kiss his partner. Fox felt giddy at the thought of kissing Scully. Shaking his head at his thoughts, Mulder gunned the bike and sped toward home. He had a promise to keep - one he had no intention of breaking.

Scully quickly brushed her teeth and washed her face, then dug through a drawer, looking for that special…there it was. She didn't know why she felt like wearing this tonight but she did. As she slipped the green silk gown over her head she suddenly felt foolish. Was she wearing this because he would be calling her tonight? Maybe. Was it foolish? Probably. Did she care? Not too much.

Mentally sticking out her tongue at her conscience, she climbed into bed and turned off the light. She made sure the phone was within reach and settled in to wait. Scully mentally calculated how long it would take to get to Mulder's apartment from hers, considering traffic (none at 3:30am) and temporary distractions (could be anything, knowing Mulder). She figured she had about ten more minutes before she could reasonably expect him to call, and gave him a 15 minute leeway before she started to panic and wonder if he'd been in an accident.

Scully snuggled into the bed, drawing her blankets and sheets around her, glad to be warm and cozy. She suddenly was really tired and hoped she wouldn't fall asleep before Mulder called. Then the phone rang.

"Mulder?"

"Who else do you expect would be calling you at this hour?" His voice was warm and comforting.

Scully snuggled deeper into her bed, enjoying the sound of his voice. She suddenly felt like she was in high school and the boy of her dreams had finally called her. She stifled a giggle.

"Just a deranged psychopath, I'm sure. I'm assuming you got home safely. You must have been flying. I didn't expect to get your call for another 5 minutes. I hope you weren't speeding!" Scully rolled over onto her stomach and propped herself up on her elbows.

Mulder heard the sound of rustling sheets. She was in bed already. The question was out of his mouth before he had a chance to censor it. "Scully, what are you wearing?"

Suddenly Scully felt very foolish to be wearing the green silk gown. Should she tell him? "Why do you want to know, Mulder?"

"I just do. Please tell me." He couldn't believe he was asking this, but now that he'd said it, he had to know. He used his best puppy voice, "Please? I'll tell you what I'm wearing!"

Scully laughed, "I'm not making any deals with you, Mulder!" He made a whimpering sound and she suddenly found herself wanting to tell him. "Okay, fine. I'll tell you. It's just a nightgown."

"What does it look like?" Mulder kept using the puppy voice. He couldn't believe she was going along with this.

"It's long, emerald-green silk with spaghetti straps." Scully couldn't believe she was telling him. Time to change the subject. "A deal's a deal, Mulder. What are you wearing?"

Mulder was reeling from the mental picture of his business-suit partner in a long, emerald-green silk nightgown. Did she always wear sexy stuff to bed at home? He'd never considered it before because he knew she wore men's pajamas when they were out of town on a case. Mulder was starting to enjoy the thought of Scully lying in bed in sexy lingerie.

"Mulder? Hello? Did you fall asleep on me? We had a deal. You aren't going to get out of this one. Tell me what you are wearing." Scully had a mental picture of her partner having a mental picture of her and she suddenly began feeling uncomfortable. She had to nip this one in the bud, didn't she?

"Um, yeah. I'm wearing what I was wearing tonight. The last time I saw you. Is that okay? I could put on something else, if you want." He felt kind of confused, almost as if he hadn't fulfilled his part of the bargain. He began pulling off his boots and shirt, and looked around the apartment for something more interesting to put on.

The conversation suddenly began to sound ridiculous to Scully. What in the world were they doing? She could hear Mulder moving around his apartment and when she heard a zipper going down she started to panic.

"Mulder, stop! It doesn't matter what you are wearing! You should be getting ready for bed and going to sleep! That's what I'm doing. I'm glad to hear you got home safely, but I really need to go to sleep now, okay?"

Mulder stood still and realized how out of control he felt. "Um, okay. Yeah, I do need to get some sleep, I guess. Well, sleep well. I'll see you on Monday, I guess. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Mulder. Try and get some sleep. I'll see you on Monday." Scully hung up the phone and wondered what the heck had just happened. She was suddenly very tired and she didn't feel like trying to puzzle it out now. Tomorrow she could give it some thought. It was bound to make more sense when she wasn't so tired.

Scully put the phone back on the night stand and rolled over, wrapping the covers around her securely. She remembered Fox Mulder's comforting, warm voice telling her to sleep well and smiled in the dark. She had a feeling she would have good dreams tonight. Sleep came easily.

Mulder, on the other hand, was still dealing with his darned thoughts. Once a mental picture of Dana in a green silk nightgown formed in his mind, he couldn't get rid of it. He took off his clothes and settled on the couch in his boxers, turning on the TV to see if there was anything on to soothe and distract him from that one mental picture. God, she was beautiful. After struggling to focus his thoughts on something else, Mulder resigned himself to one fact: he wasn't going to get much sleep tonight; that was for certain.

The sun woke Scully the next morning. She woke easily, feeling like the weigh of the world had been lifted from her responsibility. As she replayed in her mind the events from the previous night, she smiled. How could one night out make such a difference in her attitude? She felt young and carefree. It had been a long time since she had felt this way.

She went about her typical weekend routine, running errands and getting groceries, and made plans to have dinner with her mom.

The more time passed, the more Scully thought about the previous evening. Her logical, common sense side began to get worried about the path her relationship with Mulder seemed to be taking. Suddenly what had seemed like a lovely evening seemed incredibly dangerous to both of them. If the consortium ever found out that they were having un-partner-like feelings for one another it could be even more dangerous for them than it already was. They couldn't have a relationship! How could she have even begun to think that way?

By the time she met her mom for dinner, Scully was almost totally panicked. He mom took one look at her and knew something was wrong. Her normally cool and collected daughter was terribly distraught.

"Okay, tell me what's happened," Maggie said. "You know you can't pull one over on your old mom, now can you?"

Simply having a sympathetic ear (and a trustworthy one) made Scully spill her guts, telling all that had happened recently with the case and Mulder's strange behavior, and, finally, the time they had had last night. It was such a relief to say it out loud and get it into the open. She didn't have anyone else she could even think about talking to about this. And her mom could fix anything, or at least make her feel better.

Maggie was thrilled to hear that her daughter was finally acknowledging feelings for her partner. Maggie herself saw Fox as a son and had been hoping for a match like this for a long time. Why did her daughter have to be so introspective and to-the-letter with her life? If Dana wasn't careful, she was going to ruin a very good thing!

"Dana, why do you have to make everything so hard for yourself? If you and Fox want to have fun together, do it! I know you have all sorts of rules about fraternizing within your job but does that mean you aren't allowed to just have fun?" Maggie smiled at her daughter, trying to make her realize how paranoid she was being.

"But mom, you don't realize how having a romantic relationship could hurt my friendship and working relationship with Mulder. That's why it is discouraged at work. When you form emotional attachments to individuals, you can compromise the safety of others in the field. There are good reasons for the rules at work." Scully knew the soundness of her argument, but the truth of her words only made her more frustrated. While spilling her guts had had a soothing effect initially, discussing the situation now was making her feel tense and angry.

"From what I see, your relationship with Fox is very strong. You are good friends, and you need each other. What a better way to begin a relationship? Your dad and I were very good friends before we started seeing each other seriously. I don't see how it could make your friendship any less than it already is. You need Fox. I can see it perfectly, even if you can't. And I don't care about your work rules. I know you. You will never let anything compromise your integrity to do your job to the best of your ability, regardless of your feelings for the people you work with. You are a professional, more than I want sometimes. If your boss has any doubts about that, you have him talk to me and I'll straighten him out. I worry about you, Dana. You take your work more seriously than you do your private life. You need a balance. And if your personal life takes shape through relationships formed in your professional life, then so be it. Besides, I like Fox." Maggie stopped speaking, and re-evaluated her words. "Sorry, Dana. I didn't mean to be so preachy. You can see this is a topic very close to my heart. I just want you to be happy."

"Mom, I am happy. I like my job. And I like my partnership AND friendship with Mulder. And I might like to have a romantic relationship with Mulder. But I don't know for sure. And you have said some things I think you've wanted to say for a while. I will think about them. This may be totally premature, anyway. I don't know how Mulder feels about me. I know I'm not his type. I may be jumping to conclusions and causing trouble. I think I'm just going to let this slide and treat him just like I always do. Last night was just a friendly gesture that I've put too much meaning into."

Scully decided to believe that what she said was true and she was going to leave it at that. There was no reason to complicate her life by trying to have a relationship with Mulder, anyway. Regardless of how sexy he was, without a doubt he was the most frustrating man on the planet. Her mind made up, Scully refused to say another word about it for the rest of the meal, no matter what her mother said.

By the time she got home Scully was tired and frustrated. Her day had started off so well; why did she feel so sad, like she lost a good thing? She knew she had made the right decision. Her heart just didn't agree with her.

She sat on her couch in the dark, evaluating everything that had happened, everything she had been thinking about. She didn't admit it, but she was also secretly listening. She was listening for the sound of a motorcycle to go past her building, to pull into her parking lot. She was listening for a heavy hand to knock at her door. If Mulder were to show up again tonight, what would she do? Her mind told her to stick to her principles. Her heart told her to have some fun for a change, to let her emotions run wild. In the end she fell asleep on the couch, feeling the battle within, and not knowing which side was going to win.

She never heard the motorcycle cruise past her building. She never heard it pull into the parking lot. She never heard the knocking at her door because he didn't knock. When he saw her lights were off he assumed she wasn't home. She never saw the disappointed look on his face as he pulled out of the parking lot and drove away.

Mulder slept late. When he woke up he was surprised to discover he'd finally gone to sleep. The TV was on but the tape he'd put in about 8:30am had run out. The sun was streaming in the living room window, putting the time at somewhere around 2:00pm. He must have slept for almost five hours. Rubbing his hand over his face and hair, Mulder made his way to the bathroom and got into the shower. After brushing his teeth and shaving, he felt more like himself. Now, what should he do with the rest of his day?

He resisted an urge to call Scully. That would seem too pitiful, too desperate. And he wasn't desperate! Of course not. He'd just had a really good time last night. Thoughts of the evening had come back to him as he showered and got dressed. Memories of their phone conversation came to him next and he actually blushed when he remembered himself asking Scully what she was wearing. That brought back the mental picture of her in a green silk nightgown. At this point, Mulder was ready for another shower, a cold one this time. He decided he'd better do something to change his train of thought and so headed out to visit the Lone Gunman. They'd appreciate his bike and surely provide a distraction from his current mental state.

After a satisfactory visit, where Langley, Byers, and Frohike all expressed appropriate admiration for his new machine and took several short spins, Mulder found himself feeling better. Those guys were the greatest. They challenged him to a Doom tournament and Frohike spent some time trying to get him to sell part of his video collection. All in all, it was a most satisfying afternoon. They finally ordered a pizza, and after checking it thoroughly for hidden microphones, they enjoyed it immensely.

After parting company, Mulder spent some time just touring the city on the motorcycle. It was interesting how different everything looked from a bike. It was as if his whole perception had changed with his mode of transportation. Maybe more than just his perception had changed.

He found himself thinking a lot about Scully. He really had a good time last night. He thought she did, too. It was so easy to be with her; four years of partnership had formed a strong bond between them. He remembered wanting to kiss her. Would their friendship provide an easy transition into something more? Did he want that? Or was it just his hormones taking him on a trip?

As Mulder rode, he found himself thinking of all the women he'd been involved with in the past. Some were true horror stories, like Phoebe and Kirsten. None of them had given him any feeling of security. There was always a risk that he would be hurt. He could see now, in retrospect, that none of those women could be trusted with his heart. Dana Scully was the first person he'd come across that made him feel safe. She knew his downfalls and weaknesses and still stood by him. In fact, he'd been a real jerk to her and she still stood by him. When he'd run off and left her, she'd always tracked him down and come running to his aid. Why did she do that?

Mulder suddenly realized what an ass he was. He had never done anything good for Scully. Who was he to think he had any right to want to start a relationship with her? She wouldn't want him, anyway. She should be with someone who wasn't obsessive and paranoid and who could give her a real life, not one spent seeking out the weirdness and danger of the universe and living life on the run, looking for his sister. He cared about her too much to risk condemning her to a life like that. A life with him.

Having come to a decision, and making his resolve, Mulder decided to head for home. He'd go to work on Monday and act like nothing had happened. Actually, nothing had happened, except in his head. So it was no big deal. For Scully's sake, he'd leave her alone. That's what she'd want, anyway. So it was the right thing to do.

Mulder suddenly noticed where he was. While he'd been busy making decisions, he'd been driving toward Scully's neighborhood. Maybe he'd just go past her apartment and see if she was home. There was no harm in that. He was almost there, anyway. Maybe she'd want to go for a ride and would be disappointed if he didn't stop by.

As Mulder pulled into the parking lot he scanned the windows he knew belonged to her. No lights were on. She wasn't there. She wasn't waiting for him. She didn't need him. He couldn't help the intense disappointment he felt as he turned the bike around and headed home.

Author's Note: One more chapter and this is complete. It totally tickles me that you all are reading this!