Fresh air
July, 2018
That summer was being considered one of the hottest in the last decade and according to meteorologists the temperatures would continue high and breaking records during the weekend. The situation itself was an unpleasant one and when the air conditioning broke off unexpectedly in the middle of night, the two inhabitants of the unremarkable house had to move to the improvised arrangement of a campsite in their porch to have some fresh air and try to sleep for a few more hours. It was all very uncomfortable, though, especially to a six-month pregnant woman.
When morning came, Mulder was quick to phone the repair company while Scully got ready for work at Our Lady of Sorrow's Hospital. She was working there three days a week, as her expertise was of great value to treat all the patients in there. Not to mention her valuable assistance to the team working on Skinner's recovery, which was being considered a successful one as her former boss was beginning to show the first signs that he would be able to walk again soon.
The day went by without any major problem and despite being a little tired due to the previous night, she was relieved to at least having spent it inside the hospital facilities and away from the hot weather in the streets. Shift finished, Scully walked along the corridor wondering if there were any news about the air-conditioning as Mulder had not sent her any new message.
"It was so hot in there…I know you felt it too, sweetheart. I'm sorry for that." She whispered, caressing her roundish belly and fearing another night like the previous one.
It was then that she saw Mulder pacing quietly in the entrance hall. He spotted her right away and grinned, never tired of contemplating her current silhouette.
"Hey," he greeted her with a kiss on her temple as she stopped her walk right in front of him.
"Hi," she looked at him with expectation, "please tell me they fixed the air-conditioning?"
Mulder shook his head, but strangely enough the smile never faded from his handsome face. "The repair company would send an employee to fix it today but I got a call saying that he could not reach the house as promised, due to the high demand."
Scully's blue eyes were wide with a mix of anguish and despair. "What?!"
"And they will only have someone available next Monday. Considering it's a Friday, I'd say we have a long weekend ahead."
"No! Mulder, we…we can't spend another night on the porch, I…"
He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Don't worry, Scully. We won't."
"What do you mean?"
"I got a plan!" He winked at her with a mischievous expression on his face and she raised her eyebrows with suspicion.
"A plan?"
"Yeah, a plan!"
Mulder placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her towards the main exit, visibly having fun with the look of curiosity in her eyes.
"I don't know if it worries me more than the fact that I'll have to spend another night with the crickets and fireflies…"
"C'mon, Scully, how many times have we spent the night in the outside listening to the noise of the forest creatures and searching for unexplained phenomena in the sky?"
She stopped walking and shot him a pointed look. "We were younger then and I wasn't carrying a six-month belly with me, remember?"
Smiling even more, he put his hand over her belly and caressed it with tenderness. "The more, the merrier!"
Scully crossed her arms in front of her chest, still with a serious expression. "Mulder!"
"Come with me, Scully! As I told you, I got everything set!"
Although it was past 5 PM, the sun was as bright as it was at noon, and when they crossed the glass doors towards the parking area a blow of hot air stroke them, causing Scully to let out a tired sigh.
"Jesus...It's so hot in here…" She said, and as they stopped by their car, she turned to him with a little impatience. "Where are we going, Mulder?"
"Don't you trust me, doc?"
Scully gestured at her belly and then looked back at him. "Well, apparently I do…" Came her witty reply, with a little resignation.
Smiling, Mulder took her hand to his lips and winked at her one more time.
X
After a two-hour drive, the couple reached the seashore and parked in front of the lovely hotel facing the beach. The sun had just set in the horizon and a soft breeze blowing from the ocean made the atmosphere a pleasant and fresh one.
Scully's eyes grew wide as she realised that they were staying at one of the most beautiful hotels in that area. "Mulder! How…"
"I made the reservations this afternoon. Luckly, they had a suite available for the weekend due a last-minute cancelation." He explained her as they got out of the car. "Then, I packed our clothes and rushed to the hospital to pick you up, since I know you won't be working until next Monday."
Scully turned her eyes from the hotel to look at him instead, with gratitude and infinite love in her eyes. "Oh, Mulder! This is…just…I can't believe it!"
He took her hand in his and gently tugged it. "C'mon, Scully. Let's see if my credit card bill for next month is worth it!"
They made the check in and went to their suite, on the third floor, which was one of the best in the entire hotel.
"This is lovely!" She exclaimed, enchanted with the interior of the room: white furniture and sheets, an ivory wooden floor, clear walls and a king size bed with fluffy pillows with a cool temperature running.
"There's more, Scully!" He guided her along the bedroom up to the glass doors hidden behind the white curtains. Opening them and then the doors, he revealed her a private balcony with two sun loungers and the ocean ahead of them. The sunset left the sky with hues of orange and purple and the first stars were beginning to shine along with the full moon right above their heads.
"It's very private. We can go to the beach for a quick swim and enjoy the sun from here, having food and drinks delivered to our room."
"Mulder…this is…I don't even have words!"
With a smile, he pointed at her belly. "Now both of you will have a good night sleep!" He said, enjoying it when she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her face against his chest.
"Thank you," came her quiet reply, but which held so much meaning.
"U welcome!" He returned that affectionate embrace, resting his head on the top of hers, and they remained like that for a while, enjoying each other's presence in such a beautiful scenario.
Scully was the one to break the silence, frowning with curiosity as she spoke again. "Mulder…How in the world did you manage to get a room facing the ocean in one of the best hotels by the seashore on a weekend and in July?!"
"I made a calculation using Mulder's amazing probability formula!" He playfully replied.
She pulled away just enough to search his face with eyebrows raised and highly amused.
"Mulder's amazing probability formula?!"
"Yep! The same I use for tracking baseball scores! And to which you turned your cute nose all those years ago, when I first mentioned it!"
She let out a giggle. "Well, you didn't tell me then that it was your formula! But anyway, I'm glad – very glad, that you used it outside the baseball field!"
"I tracked all the hotels along this area, checked their reputation and the hotels' capacity, added a few calculations and that did the trick!"
Shaking her head, she smiled at him with tenderness. "Wonders never cease with you!"
Then, she stood in the tip of her toes and motioned him to lower his head. Their lips met in the middle of the way, for a loving kiss.
After a relaxing shower, they left for dinner in a restaurant not far from their hotel. Pleasant music, delicious food and a five-minute walk along the shore, hand in hand, made them forget about how exhausting the night before was, especially for Scully. Despite being sleep deprived, she insisted on going to work and now, instead of one more uncomfortable night, she would be able to rest properly and according to her condition.
When they returned to their suite, she removed her shoes and lay down in bed telling him he could use the bathroom for his night routine as she would rest her legs for a few moments.
Mulder changed into a pair of sweatpants, brushed his teeth and used the restroom, aware of how tired she might be feeling. He smiled when he returned to the bedroom and found her in deep sleep, with her mouth open and her hands tugged under her head.
With tenderness, Mulder covered her with a soft blanket and closed the curtains. Then, he turned the lights off and took his place in bed facing her. A smile never leaving his face at the contemplation of the woman he loved carrying their child and sleeping peacefully next to him.
"Good night, Scully. I love you." He whispered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Then, he placed his hand over her belly and caressed it gently. "Good night, little one. I love you too."
X
When Mulder opened his eyes, the first morning sunrays were beginning to shine through the white curtains that led to the balcony. Its glass doors were open as the thin cotton fabric swayed gently with the soft breeze coming from the ocean.
He realised that Scully was not inside the room and her side of the bed was already cold, indicating she'd been up for a while. Rubbing his face, he rose to his feet slowly and headed to the bathroom. He looked at his reflex in the mirror and smiled, not bothering to arrange his messy hair.
After brushing his teeth and using the restroom, he went to the balcony, imagining Scully would be there watching the sea. He knew how much she loved it and when the air conditioning company called telling him that the service would only be available on the following week, he saw that as an opportunity to take her to the shore. With the pregnancy sickness gone and Scully's good health, he felt it was safe enough to take her on a small trip to a place where they could rest and entertain a little romance.
Mulder pushed the white curtains open, seeing the two sun loungers that stood in the balcony were turned with their back to him and facing the ocean. One of them had its back partially lifted but he could see that Scully was lying in it, holding a glass of orange juice in one of her hands while enjoying the morning sun. The food cart was in the corner and held all their favourite foods.
"Morning, doc!" He greeted her a bit distracted, looking at the chocolate muffins on the cart while he made his way to be in front of her. "I see you got those muf…Whoa!" Mulder suddenly exclaimed, his eyes were immediately wide with surprise and his heart immediately racing at the view of his Scully lazily lying in there topless.
"Good morning, Mulder." She replied, nonchalantly, but with a slight smile on her face and secretly having fun out of his reaction.
"Well very, very good indeed!" He spoke, his eyes scanning every inch of her body.
Scully let out a pleased sigh. "You know, the best thing about this hotel is this private balcony. No one to see what the guests are doing and allowing us to have the best of a view like this."
"Oh, I can assure you I am having the best view ever, Scully!" He quickly replied, with his back to the ocean and his full attention on her.
Aware of his flirting, she extended him the empty glass in her hand. "Could you put it back in the cart for me, please? It was delicious. I guess I'll have another one soon."
"Yes, ma'am…" He took the item from her hand, never removing his eyes from her form, and placed it on the cart that held their breakfast.
"I hope you don't mind that I ordered our food already. I was a little hungry and you were still sleeping."
"Oh no, I don't mind at all. Actually, I'm having quite a great morning already."
"I'm glad you are. I decided to bring it here and have a sunbath while I waited for you. As you know, vitamin D is important for the organism, especially for someone in my condition."
There was a smile playing on both of their faces as Mulder took a seat on the edge of the lounger, his eyes marvelling at the image of her body and the constant reminder that their love was such that it had flourished into a new life.
"Yeah, you're absolutely right. If I knew that you'd be wearing just the bottom of your bikini, I wouldn't have bothered to pack the whole thing!"
"Oh well, I intend to go to the beach for a quick swim. And for that I'll wear the complete outfit, I assure you!" She winked at him, causing his heart to skip a beat.
"I see…And…erm…Is there anything I can assist you with while you enjoy your sunbath? For instance, did you remember to put some sunscreen lotion on?"
Pretending to be in full thought, she snapped her fingers on the following instant. "Oh, brother! I knew I was forgetting something!"
An excited Mulder rose from his feet immediately. "Stay there, I'll get it for you in no time!"
"Thanks!" She replied, trying to stifle her giggling at his eagerness to help.
Mulder came back just a few seconds later holding the bottle of her sunscreen lotion in his hand.
"So erm…Would you like me to apply it for you so you don't have to interrupt what you're doing?"
"Would you be so kind, please?"
He sat back at the edge of the lounge again and shed some of the product in the palm of his both hands.
"I'm at your service, Scully! Where do you want me to start?" He asked, his eyes travelling from her face down up to her feet, taking in each inch and marvelling at the amount of freckles spread everywhere.
"Where do you want to start, Mulder?" She replied, biting her lower lip and raising one eyebrow at him.
"Well, I'd say it'd be best to begin with a focal point!" His heart was racing at the thought of running his hands all over her body during that pleasant chore he gave himself.
"Which is…?"
"Hum...Concerning your body, my focal point would be anywhere between the top of her head to the tip of your toes, Scully. But taking into consideration your current condition, I guess we both would agree with this…"
Saying that, he placed both hands over her six-month belly and gently spread the lotion all over, eliciting an amused laughter from her.
Making her laugh was something that he would forever be proud of.
"Smart man!" She said, as he bent over and kissed her belly.
"That mom of yours is really something, my little one!" He spoke against her skin, feeling her hand gently stroking his hair while he enjoyed that moment. Every day, he would lean closer to her belly and give their baby a good morning kiss, speaking loving words to the little one and placing his face against it as if he was actually listening to her reply.
And when he finished to spread the lotion over her belly, he looked at her and smiled. Scully let go of his hair and now stroked his face with tenderness, some loving words being exchanged in the silence. He inched closer and captured her lips, enjoying it as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kept that caress going for another minute.
"I love you…" She whispered against his ear, once they pulled away, causing him to look at her with a broad smile, as he would never get tired of hearing those words.
Mulder took her hand to his lips, kissing each knuckle and eyeing her with so much love that he didn't even need to put into words the obvious truth that he also loved her.
Then he took a deep breath and spoke again, now with a pointed look at her chest. "Alright… I have a chore to fulfil!"
She nodded enthusiastically. "Oh yes, you do!"
"And I'll make sure to cover every piece so that this beautiful porcelain skin doesn't get any sunburn!" He said, kissing her lips one more time.
X
Hotel, 10 PM.
"Ouch! Scully!"
Mulder was sitting at the edge of their bed, shirtless, while Scully sat in bed right behind him and started to spread a cream for sunburn all over his back and shoulders. The skin on his torso, legs and face was red and when they returned to the hotel after dinner he had stated that it started to itch.
"Sorry!" She said, slowing the movement of her hands.
"Even after dropping the FBI and returning to your medicine career, you still got those manos de piedra in full force, Scully."
"Ah, Mulder..." Shaking her head with an amused expression, Scully playfully shed some white cream on the tip of his nose, leaving it equally white and causing him to chuckle as he cleaned it.
"I told you this morning that you should put on the sunscreen lotion too!" She gently scolded him.
"I was busy." He replied, a smile spread on his face as he remembered why he did not have the time to use the lotion on himself and also thankful that the balcony was indeed a private one.
"Yeah, you were…" She whispered back, kissing his shoulder before keeping on her ministrations. "Sorry." She continued to run her small hands over his back up and down and visibly enjoying it. "You could at least let me do this before we went to the restaurant. Now it's gotten even worse."
Mulder looked at her hands, which were now slowly travelling down his strong arms, and gave a lopsided grin. "Well, I thought it could be a good idea to do it when we got back..."
"Hum...I see...Didn't want your new Alien t-shirt stained with the cream, huh?"
"Yeah, something like that..."
She made a pause and shifting her position in bed so she could stay right next to him. "Ok. Lie down in bed, Mulder. I want to spread it over your chest now."
He quickly obliged with a happy grin. "I'm all yours, doc!"
It had been a lovely day, starting by their flirting at the balcony and subsequential love making right there under the sun and the soft ocean breeze. A stroll along the shore some time later, a delicious lunch by in a restaurant facing the beach, the afternoon nap and the trip to another restaurant at night.
And while she ran her hands now along his strong chest, in order to treat his mild injuries, Scully was thankful that the air conditioning had broken for their weekend couldn't be more pleasant, filled with fresh air and much love.
The end.