Scully's Apartment

Friday

31st October 5.40PM

Dana Scully walked through the apartment on automatic mode. Her body took over the routine of placing the mail on the table along with her car keys and propelled her towards the bathroom without making her decide. The warm water filled the room with steam before she managed to undress fully. The water streaming onto her neck massaged muscles she didn't even know were aching until finally they relaxed. She woke up enough from her reverie to lather and rinse her hair but all she could manage after her stepping from the shower was to wrap herself in a large cotton towel and shuffle towards the bedroom.

It hadn't dawned on her that the living room was free of its usual clutter. His suitcase was gone and all sheets and pillows he used at night were no longer stacked neatly on the armchair. It was all too often he decided to spend the evening at a bar rather than in her company. Her head was filled with images of his body lying on her bed, his arms curling around her waist and the sight of his face so close she could count lashes on each eye.

After the untimely interruption last night when she had to leave, she focused as best she could on the case but all the while the thought of him waiting for her, naked on her bed teased painfully but deliciously at the back of her mind. Then after driving home in sweet anticipation only to find him curled up on her bed her heart sank. Not for the diminishing desire she felt but for the endured tortured despair he'd sank into while she was gone.

She had hugged him until his crying had stopped then he hurried away from her. She watched as he dressed and prepared to bolt out the door and was shocked as he turned to her and asked her to join him. They'd walked the streets in silence till dawn, with his arm around her shoulder, holding her tightly against him.

Sitting now on the edge of the bed she fought her heavy eyelids and then decided to give in. Lying back she allowed them to close over and soon fell victim into a deep sleep.

The key in the front door stirred her slumber but she didn't wake, only rolled over onto her side and clutched a pillow to her chest.

"Scully?" he called out into the dark apartment. He knew she was home after spotting her car outside, and now the evidence of her mail, her keys on the table. "Hey Scully?" The bathroom was still steamy after her shower so he figured she was in the bedroom dressing. Even after having her naked body pressed against his own, feeling only yesterday her tongue hot and wet deep inside his own mouth he still hesitated at the door to her bedroom. He knocked once then pushed it open.

The window blinds were open enough to give him a perfect view of her curves. The towel she had wrapped around her had fallen when she rolled over to clutch the pillow leaving her back bare and beautiful to his eyes.

"Hey," he said softly as he walked into the room not sure if he wanted her to wake or not. "I have food…it's your favorite."

She made no move to respond snuffled once into her pillow as her body relaxed into a deeper sleep and suddenly Mulder had a most deliciously wicked thought.

He placed the bag on to the floor and reached into it careful not to rustle the bag too much lest he wake her before he'd had his fun. He found what he was looking for and pulled it out then removed the top. It was colder than room temperature but would taste better after a couple of hours in the fridge. But he didn't have time for that right now. Checking to see if she was asleep still he dipped two fingers into the pot and dragged out a dollop of strawberry moose then smeared it along her spine.

It reached from her back between her shoulder blades to the small of her back and although she stirred she didn't wake. Her back arched and she moaned, still asleep then went still again. Mulder smiled.

He licked his fingers of the remaining moose then lowered his head and kissed her shoulder. His tongue appeared to lick a spot of moose form her spine and she moaned again. Delighting in the sound he kissed her again, licking and kissing his way down her spine until her moaning woke her.

"Mulder?"

"Boy, am I glad it's my name you said." He laughed as she rolled over onto her back, the towel still draped over her front.

"What are you doing?" she spied the tub of mousse beside her head and the residue of it on his lips.

"Waking you." He kissed her shoulder and her neck then gently touched his lips to hers.

"Well I'm awake now."

His hand appeared in front of her, two of his fingers covered in mousse again and he smeared it across her shoulders then followed the trail with his tongue.

She gasped at the contrast of the cold mousse and hot tongue her body writhing on the bed beneath his ministrations.

"Okay," Her hands came up to his shoulders and she pushed him aside. "Your turn!" she said as she straddled his hips, the towel, forgotten, falling around her lap as she reached for the pot of mousse.

After only a moment's hesitation he allowed her to pull off his sweater, careful not to hurt his wound, and then with one finger she smeared a dollop of mousse over each of his nipples then chased it away with her tongue. He held his breath, trying to enjoy the moment, the sensation. See that it was her, Scully who bent before him, her red hair brushing his skin. He groaned. Another dollop found its way to the shallow of his neck and another adorned the smooth skin to the uninjured side of his chest.

At first, all he could feel was her tongue touching him, licking, her fingers caressing his skin and her hips locked around his waist. Then the room flashed and turned black. The lights flickered and a stench of sweat and vomit permeated his nose. Thick calloused fingers touched him and he screamed.

Scully jumped up at the sound of his shriek, knocking the mousse onto the carpet where it fell incriminatingly like a splatter of blood.

"Mulder!"

"Don't fucking touch me!" he yelled, backing away from her so far he fell off the other end of the bed. Still backing away, he scrambled backwards into the corner and put his head between his knees. Making the smallest target he could, Mulder wrapped his arms around his head and started to rock.

"Mulder!" she said softly after chasing him across the room. She knelt before him, unaware of her nakedness but refrained from reaching out to touch him, not wanting to make it worse. "Shhhh, Mulder. It's okay. It's over."

He rocked silently, no more cries or screams, no moans or sobbing, just painful heavy silence. She found herself matching his position. Rocking with him and waiting.

It seemed like an eternity had passed before he loosened his grip on his head and looked up. She was still rocking, still resting her head low with her eyes closed. He snaked a hand out to her and touched her knee making her start.

"Scully?" he was confused. The room swirled, remnants on his waking nightmare still clung to his mind.

"Come here," was all she said as she lowered her knees and opened her arms. Still curled up into a ball he allowed his body to lean forward until his head was in her lap, her hands caressed his hair stroking it back from his face.

Mulder lay still until he felt his breathing relax then he became aware of how naked she was. He had rested on her lap for just over an hour, not speaking or needing to. "Thanks." He said finally.

She didn't respond so he rolled over onto his back and peered up to her face. She was smiling and looking down at him, her hair framing her face and her breasts brushing his cheek.

"Thanks for letting me."

He rolled off her and sat up then took her into his arms for a long hug. Kissing her hair and neck he squeezed her tighter then held her away from him. "I need to talk to you about something. But first..." He stood up and pulled her with him. "You need to put a tee shirt on or it won't be talking I'll be doing."

She almost blushed as she realized finally how completely naked she was but then saw the gleam of desire in his eye and delighted in it.

From the stool beside the bed she snatched her Sonics tee and dragged it over her head then grabbed a pair of running shorts from the drawer and slipped into them as well. He took her hand and led her out to the living room and pulled her down onto the couch beside him.

"I had an appointment with Dr Morrison today." He said without preamble.

"Yeah?" she said warily.

"It was strange." He looked down to his entwining hands then reached over and took her hands between his. "I think today was the first time I thought that I could do this, that I would be able to make it out onto the other side of this hell."

"Mulder!"

"And I realized that there are some definite steps I need to take." He gestured around the room and she only noticed then that his belongings were gone. "Like moving into a place of my own."

"Mulder you don't have to-"

"I do." His voice was definite. "I moved my things over there this afternoon after the session with Keith and I cleaned it up a bit. I came back over to tell you it's because of you that I'm doing this." He looked up to her. "I realised today after talking with Keith that I could have lived in Seattle for the rest of my life. You were right about what you said to me there. I was content. Not because I was happy but because I was surviving. But when you left to come back to DC, I realized that surviving wasn't enough for me anymore."

He sat back on the couch and pulled her onto his lap. One hand rested on her thigh playing with the cuff of her shorts while the other drew lines on her back, subconsciously mimicking the lines his tongue had made earlier.

"See this?" he said showing her the scar on his wrist. "This is a result of my surviving. And I don't think I want to go down that road again. But do you see this?" On his shoulder was a small mark. It was red and circular and it wasn't until Scully examined it closer that she realised it was a love bite.

"This is a result of my living. And I know I can take a whole lot more of that." She laughed as her fingers traced the outline of the red mark then she leaned over and kissed it tenderly. "But you have to know. About what happened just now, this evening?" His head lowered and his eyes clouded over. "That's not something I can stop…yet. Its not something I can control and I get no warning."

"Mulder, look at me." Her finger lifted his chin to make him look. "When you kiss me you transport me to a place I've never been. It's wonderful…amazing and unique," she kissed him. "Simple," kissed him again. "Kiss." And again. "So when you get used to me touching you," her hands roamed over his bare chest, "and get used to me kissing you…" her lips captured his for a long soft kiss.

"You know what Scully," he said smiling against her lips, loathing to break contact with her. "I don't think I could ever get used to you kissing me." They hugged again pulling apart only when his stomach growled noisily.

"Time for food," she said as she climbed off him and pulled her up with him into the kitchen.

"I brought home food, wait a sec." He hurried into the bedroom and carried the shopping bag out then emptied it onto the table. "I wanted to make you dinner." She looked down at the contents on the shopping and smiled. Wrapping her arms around him for a hug, she froze as he stiffened.

"Sorry," she said as she pulled her arms back.

"No Scully." He took her arms and slid them back around his waist while wrapping his own around her. "Don't ever be sorry for touching me. I need this, I need you to be able to do what you want. It will take a while for me to get used to it but I will get used to it, I promise." Planting a kiss on her forehead he hugged her tightly then returned his attention back to making dinner.

Patuxent River Park

Friday

31st December 6.50PM

He walked the edge of the shore letting his feet get wet and enjoying the feel of the soft pebbles beneath his toes. He pulled off his sweater and threw it behind him then yanked on his shirt, ripping the buttons off as he let it flutter to the ground. The skin on his arms shimmered with movement and he delighted as another tattoo appeared on his wrist. Chinese writing that he thought went well with the dragon and Maori designs. On his shoulders he examined the Celtic designs and watched his chest sparkle to life as a small crucifix appeared painlessly there.

"Almost time," he said as he clenched his fists and watched the muscles work beneath the colorful designs. He wanted to do it now. Wanted to finish it now but he had to wait for the right moment. It would be perfect, poetically handled at midnight on New Year's eve. Laughing he couldn't hold it back, while throwing his arms into the air and screaming at the top of his voice, the scream turning into a vigorous laugh as he fell back onto the beach, his arms and legs splayed.

In his pocket his phone rang and he took a moment to settle himself before answering it.

"Yeah," he said, traces of his laugh still clinging to his voice.

"We have another." The voice was curt and he knew still angry with him.

"Where?"

"At the Children's National Medical Center."

"Okay I'll be right there," then before the phone call was disconnected he called out her name. "Dana?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry." When she said nothing he wasn't sure if the connection had been cut off or not but after checking the screen on his phone saw she was, her name was still there.

"I'll see you at the center."

The soft beeping in his ear told him she had cut the connection and he slipped the phone back into his pocket. He looked down at his chest again, at the crucifix there and remembered the face. A young girl who had lived on the streets. Slack brown hair and a plain face. He mentally prepared himself for the shock he would have to show then grabbed this clothing and hurried back to his car.