Awkward and exhilarating was how Mulder would describe the drive to the party; it was a total of thirty minutes precisely, and he enjoyed every minute of getting to know Dana Katherine Scully.
She had two brothers and a sister. He'd already met her sister, Melissa, at the apartment. He instantly liked her; she was easy to talk to and seemed genuine when he spoke with her. He wondered if all the Scully women had the same effect on people the way they had on him. The probability was high, considering he was smitten with Scully the moment he laid eyes on her.
Besides being incredibly beautiful, Scully was brilliant. Her goal of becoming a doctor was secured, and she had been accepted to several medical schools but chose to stay with UMD School of Medicine. In addition to the handsome financial package and scholarships, she wanted to stay close to home. "I moved around so much; I just wanted to stay put," she had said to him in the car as he listened and nodded attentively.
Mulder was impressed with her quick wit and dry humor–she made him laugh, and equally, he enjoyed making her laugh. They already had a knack for playful back-and-forth banter.
They arrived at the party, and after several unanswered knocks, Mulder pushed the door open to a sea of Starfleet wannabes and upbeat music.
He turned to Scully, "So much for a small gathering," he said, and she returned an apprehensive smile.
Scully's body stiffened at the entrance, and Mulder took her hand.
"I gotcha, just stick close," he instructed her.
They were greeted with several friendly nods and smiles as Mulder led Scully into the living room. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Melvin in the kitchen and guided Scully toward his friend.
"Mulder!" Melvin shouted when he saw them coming his way, throwing up a Vulcan greeting (as if his life depended on it).
Melvin was dressed as Scotty and carried a sheepish smile on his face. "I know what you are gonna say, Mulder, but one invite after another, and well, here we are," Melvin said, shrugging his shoulders.
"Actually, I was going to say beam me up, Scotty," Mulder said sarcastically.
He continued, "Melvin Frohike, this is Dana Scully, my date," he said.
Melvin reached out his hand, "Nice to meet you; I couldn't wait to meet the infamous coffee shop cutie."
Mulder cleared his throat at Melvin's comment. He was about to chastise his friend again for his lack of decorum, but Scully had already responded.
"Nice to meet you too, Mulder's often tardy coffee shop friend," Scully said bitingly as she extended her free hand to meet his. Mulder chuckled at her response.
"Of course," Scully continued matter-of-factly, "I should probably thank you. If it wasn't for you and your tardiness, Mulder and I might have never met."
Melvin laughed loudly and threw his hands in the air. "She's feisty; I like her," he said to Mulder.
Mulder rolled his eyes; every time Melvin opened his mouth, he was reminded why Melvin was single.
He worried how Scully would respond, but she casually nodded and smiled up at Mulder, squeezing his hand simultaneously.
"What can I get you both to drink?" Melvin asked, moving on.
Mulder looked down at Scully, motioning her to order first. "I'll take a beer," Scully said, and Mudler echoed her choice. Melvin walked over to a large red cooler against the kitchen wall and grabbed two amber long-neck beer bottles, handing them each as he returned to where Mulder and Scully stood. All three conversed for a few moments before they were interrupted by two other partygoers.
"Hey Mel, great party," the young woman dressed as Deanna Troi said, while the other smiled and waved.
"Mira, this is Da..."
Before he could finish his introduction, Mira interrupted Melvin.
"Scully, right? Dana Scully," she said, snapping her finger the instant she remembered. "You were in Dr. Jones's biology class last semester, right?" she asked. Scully instantly returned a smile, "Yes, I remember you. You were my TA."
"Such a small world. Oh, this is my sister, Jill," Mira said, gesturing to the woman beside her.
The five exchanged pleasantries and continued chatting.
"Now Dana, don't believe a word Mel says. But Mulder, he's okay," Mira said in jest.
"Thanks, Mira, good to know," Scully said, smiling at Mulder. Then she slipped her arm between his, cozying up to his side. "Yeah, I kinda like him," she finished, and Mulder smiled back. It was probably his goofy grin, but he couldn't help it—one beer in and a pretty girl on his arm, who could hardly blame him.
The evening was filled with several introductions and pleasantries. They had finally settled into the living room, where Mulder introduced Scully to two more of his pals, both dressed as Captain Kirk. Mulder chuckled at the thought of them showing up dressed the same.
"How's it going?" nodding their heads warmly at Scully.
"I'm Richard, but you can call me Langley, and this is John or Byers, your choice," Langley said.
"Nice to meet you both," She said.
"So, how'd you get roped into this fun evening?" Captain Kirk, number one, said.
"I'm still trying to figure that out myself," speaking loudly over the noise—a tiny smile formed across her face, and Mulder laughed at her answer.
"So, how do you know our boy?" Langly asked as he sat down next to Melvin and Byers, who had already found spots on the couch.
Scully went through their meeting again, looking up at Mulder when she spoke. He was captivated by her beauty every time she looked at him, and every time she spoke, he was captivated by her charm. At the end of her story, Mulder interjected, "She was kind enough to entertain me, but in the end, she couldn't resist my good looks and animal magnetism."
"Yeah, I'm sure that was it," Langly teased.
"Hey, Scully, take a seat," Mulder said, patting the arm of the only empty chair in the room. He didn't want her standing– and he certainly didn't want her sitting between Curly, Larry, and Mo on the couch.
"It's okay, we can share; that is– if you don't mind?" She asked him, bumping her shoulder into his arm playfully. His eyes locked in on her lips, and the urge to kiss her consumed his senses. Remembering he had a question to answer, he responded, despite the lump in his throat, "Of course, I…uh, can make room."
Mulder sat down and slid over. Scully, however, had a different idea. "That's okay; I can sit here," she said, sitting squarely on his lap. Mulder smiled a glorious smile, ear to ear. He wrapped one arm around her backside and rested his hand on the outside of her bare thigh; her miniskirt had hiked up enough that his hand cradled her flesh and not the polyester fabric of her blue Starfleet uniform. Scully placed her arm around his neck as they continued to converse with the group in the living room.
Two beers in, and he was feeling terrific. He'd say intoxicated, but the beer wasn't the reason for his current state. As they continued their conversation with the group, he had inadvertently started stroking Scully's exposed thigh gently, and she didn't seem to mind. Very aware of his body's physiological responses, Mulder had suddenly reached his limit of sharing his time with Scully.
He wanted her all to himself.
Mulder leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Hey, you want to go somewhere a little quieter?" he asked, hoping she didn't think he sounded like a horny teenager. Scully smiled, then tilted her head to whisper into his ear, "I thought you'd never ask."
"Well, boys, as much as this conversation on the timeline of Star Trek is exhilarating, we will be excusing ourselves for a moment," Mulder said to his friends.
"No problem," Byers said, and the other two nodded; all three seemed to understand what Mulder was articulating.
"It was nice meeting you all," Scully said, standing to her feet with Mulder rising soon after. She grabbed his hand, letting him lead the way once more.
Mulder guided her toward the backyard. Several lawn chairs were scattered throughout the ample outside space; in the corner, there was an unoccupied bench; it would be a perfect spot for them. He gathered a blanket from the porch basket and escorted Scully to their destination.
The night was clear and pleasantly cool. When they sat down, Scully scooted close, and Mulder took the blanket, spreading it across her lap.
"Here, this will keep you warm," he said, putting his arm around her and settling beside her.
"This is nice," she said.
"Hmhmm, it is," Mulder said in agreement.
"I like your friends; they are quirky."
"They're certainly that, but they are great guys," Mulder said as he rested his palm on her shoulder.
Scully nodded, then turned around and looked up at Mulder. "Thank you for inviting me; I'm having a good time," she said. Mulder wanted to kiss her. He never questioned timing before or hesitated, but something about Scully had him wanting to ensure the moment was perfect. He didn't want to blow it–then, as if she read his mind, "So, are you gonna kiss me or what?" she said.
He placed one hand on her cheek, wrapping his index finger around her ear; he didn't have to pull her in too close because she was already moving toward him. Her face was so close, and he only hesitated briefly to gaze into her piercing, big blue eyes. He could spend a lifetime staring into her eyes.
Their lips met.
Mulder's senses melted, and his stomach tickled. Butterflies, summersaults, stomach-flips–the physical response he experienced by her kiss didn't need a name–he just knew she made him feel it. Her lips were soft and sweet, a mixture of beer and cotton candy. He resisted the urge to suck each one between his teeth. Shit, he needed to retain a little decorum.
His brain continued to catalog the events as they unfolded. Their kiss was clumsy, both trying to find a rhythm, their noses bumping against each other. He made a quick adjustment, and they melted comfortably into each other.
Scully suddenly stopped and pulled away. Mulder, though disappointed, followed her lead. She sighed and tilted her head down.
"Mulder, I'm sorry. I hope I wasn't too eager. You must think I'm a dork."
"No, not at all," taking her hand and pressing it to his lips.
"Are you sure?" she asked.
"Trust me, Scully, nothing you could do or say would make me think less of you."
Scully returned a warm smile, relaxing at his reassurance.
"I'll admit, you make me nervous, Dana Scully. I don't want to fuck this up," he said, surprised at his honesty.
Mulder gently cradled her chin, tilting it up, and she smiled. Her smile had already captivated him; he would do anything for that smile. He leaned in, using his arm as leverage, pulling her close to him from behind. Their lips met again–this time driven by the desire to taste once again what he briefly just had; Mulder opened his mouth. Scully, in response, pushed her tongue past his teeth, and together, their tongues explored every warm and soft part of their lip-locked union.
As far as first kisses went, Mulder was sure he had knocked it out of the Galaxy.