All notes disclosed in chapter one.
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Oh, my God, I'm in love with this man Dana thought, startled, as she watched Mulder tuck Cassie into bed. When did this happen?
"Is she always so easy to put to bed?" he whispered over to her.
"No, most of the time, she wants to stay up with me for as long as she can."
"And the rest of the time?"
"She's an angel."
Mulder kissed Cassie's forehead before quietly backing out of the room. He stopped Dana outside of the room, a hand tugging her back to him.
She looked up expectantly at him when he didn't say anything at first.
"Can I convince you sleep in my room with me? You don't have to. I have another guest room you can have or you can have my room and I'll take the guest room. Or…."
She placed a hand over his mouth. "Mulder, you're babbling."
He have her a weak smile. "Sorry. Will you? Stay with me?"
"Of course," she was quick to say. "It's what I was king of planning anyway."
"Really?"
"Yes, really." She tugged on his hand, pulling him towards the stairs. "Now come on, I'm tired."
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"Do you have a particular side of the bed?" Mulder called into the bathroom.
"Mulder, why are you so nervous?" Dana said, opening the bathroom door mid-sentence. "Aren't I supposed to be the nervous one?"
That actually made him relax. For the moment at least. "In this relationship, a lot of the roles might be reversed."
"Is that good or bad?" she smiled.
"It's yours to interpret."
"I'll decide later. Scoot over, you're on my side." He obeyed quickly, but he moved slowly across the covers. She pushed him, laughing all the while.
"You are so childish," she told him, settling under the covers close to him. His hands found their way to her hips, pressing their bodies close together.
"Is that such a bad thing?" he wondered, pressing a kiss to her chin and working his way up.
Her arms made their way around his neck when he settled over her, his lips attached to her neck.
"Hmm, it is when I want to be with the man I'm apparently dating," she retorted. He had no answer except to kiss her. She responded eagerly in kind.
She'd never felt so consumed before. Cassie's father had never made her feel that way. It amazed her how quick she'd fallen under Mulder's spell, how quickly they were getting so close so fast. It scared her, too, and she didn't know why.
"Mulder," she said in between breathes. "Don't you think this is moving pretty fast?"
"What is fast really?"
"What do you mean?" He moved away from her but he didn't lose contact.
"I mean, what if this is how things are supposed to be moving? Life's too short to go slow."
"But you can die if you go too fast," she injected.
"But if you know what you're doing and you know how you feel, why go at a snail's pace?"
She glanced down at his chest, unable to look in his eyes any longer.
"Meeting each other wasn't a mistake. This isn't a mistake. This feels more that right to me, and you can't tell me you don't feel the same. You wouldn't be here if you didn't."
"You're right; I wouldn't be here if I didn't feel something," she admitted, her eyes darting up to his neck. "But Mulder, I've never gone this fast in a relationship. I've never found myself in a man's bed on the second date. I'm not that type of girl."
"I know you're not," he said, a hand tilting her head up to look at him. "We can go as slow as you want. Just don't walk away from this. I don't know what I'd do if you did."
"I'm not saying I want to go depressingly slow. I'm just saying I'm not used to this. This is new territory for me."
"Me, too. Think of it this way, this is basically the… oh, seventh date."
"Only the seventh?" she teased. He tweaked her nose playfully, grabbing her hands in his.
"Why do I have a feeling you tease really well?" he said, kissing the tips of her fingers.
"I don't," she assured him. A hand slipped out of his and slid down his bare chest, making him shiver. "But I can."
He quickly grabbed her hand from going any further. "Don't make me embarrass myself. Your whole opinion of me might change."
"Or I'll know it's been a while for you, just as it's been a while for me."
"Yes, it has been a long time but I still don't want to embarrass myself. Maybe later but in a completely different way," he promised.
"Sounds interesting but I'd settle for a kiss instead."
"Now that I can do."
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Dana batted at the hand traveling up her leg. She didn't mind the lips at her neck but the hand was arousing her quickly into wakefulness.
"Mmm, Mulder stop it," she groaned.
"Can't stop," he murmured in her ear. "You taste too good. Besides, this is your wake up call. It's seven o'clock."
She turned over to face him, his hand coming in contact with her inner thigh. She either didn't notice or didn't mind. He hoped it was the latter. "Is Cassie awake?"
"No, she was still asleep when I checked a few minutes ago," he assured her. Then he smiled sweetly as he brushed loose strands of hair away from her face. "She looks just like you when she's asleep. Or, should I say, it's more noticeable how much she looks like you."
"Normally, I'd deny that but, as she grows up, I can see myself more and more in her. But I can also see her father in her."
"Does that bother you?" he asked, his fingers trailing up and down her leg.
"It used to be but she acts and looks more like me so it doesn't bother me anymore. I've made my peace with it."
"Do you know where her father is?"
"Somewhere in California. I hear he moves a lot. I transferred from Berkeley to Georgetown and after I finished my residency, I was offered a position here in New York."
"Were you in Georgetown or here when you gave birth to Cassie?"
"I was here. My parents helped me out for a couple of months after she was born. Then I found my apartment, and Cassie and I have been there ever since."
She settled deeper under the covers, his ministrations moving to her back. He began to massage with both hands, moving slowly up and down. Her eyes fluttered shut from the feeling, a low moan escaping.
"You are really good at this," she told him, practically mewling at the pleasure.
"Thank you. I hope you're good at this too because I get a sore shoulder every now and then. I'm gonna want the same treatment."
"Just tell me when," she promised. She'd do anything as long as he didn't stop.
"I'm not gonna keep this up, you know," he told her, his hands slipping under her shirt so they could move better. She didn't protest. "Another few minutes at most."
"That's fine with me. Just don't stop."
Another couple minutes and he knew she'd be asleep. He counted to twenty before he stopped. His lips found the back of her neck once more and he claimed her as his once again.
"If you leave a mark," she half threatened.
"Your hair's long enough; you'll be fine," he assured, nipping gently at the sensitive spot he'd found.
She chuckled, stretching her still tired limbs as far as she could. "You are going to get me into so much trouble, I can already tell," she predicted.
"Probably," he agreed. After placing one last kiss to her neck, he moved away from her. She quickly pulled him back to her for a real kiss. Her lips moved slowly over his, caressing every inch.
"I have to say, this is the best wake-up call I've ever gotten," she told him, a sweet smile wide on her face.
"I'm hoping there will be more."
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Continued in next chapter………