Headers and Notes in Part 1

Part 7 of 12


Three Days Later

Scully's Apartment
Georgetown, D.C.
March 20, 2001
4:45 pm


Scully moved down her hallway, the heavy shopping bag in her hand 
cutting into the flesh of her palm, her other hand digging in her coat 
pocket for her keys.  Despite the pain in her hand, being tired from an 
afternoon shopping trip with her mother, one that had severely cut into 
her naptime, and having an aching back, she had a happy smile on her 
lips.

It had been nice spending time with her mother, shopping for baby 
things and having a late lunch, her mother's treat.  It had also been 
nice to get away from Mulder for a little while.

She loved the man dearly, during his abduction she had missed him more 
than could ever be adequately expressed in words, but on occasion, he 
was just this side of annoying.

At her doorway she paused to drop the bag on the floor, her hand 
needing relief, if even for a few seconds, and lifted her other one to 
the doorknob.  She turned it curiously, and the door opened a little, 
having been left unlocked.  Mulder obviously had not relocked it after 
she left, feeling secure with he and one third of the Gunmen present.

Scully cursed herself for putting the bag down, as she now struggled to 
pick it up again.  Bending at the waist was a thing of the distant 
past, and the awkward knee bend she had adopted had her huffing like 
she'd just run a few laps around the track.

Once she had it firmly in hand again, she rose with a relieved sigh and 
nudged the door open further with a sideways bump of her hip.  It 
creaked slightly, but apparently the sound was not loud enough to be 
heard over the voice of Frohike, for no voice called out to her in 
welcome.

"...but, man, I gotta tell you, Scully's so...she's so womanly now," 
Frohike said, and the words were awe-spoken, making her blush slightly.

"Frohike..." Mulder said his friend's name warningly.  At that she had 
no trouble picturing the hand gestures that might have accompanied 
Frohike's statement, and blushed harder.  She could not seem to budge 
from her spot just inside her apartment, the door still open behind 
her.

Frohike continued on, despite the warning, his words a lament.  "She's 
still hot, I mean she'll always be hot to me, but I shouldn't say that 
anymore, or call her tasty."  The sentence was mournfully spoken, and 
received another muttered warning from Mulder.  Frohike continued 
though, undaunted, explaining himself.  "It wouldn't be right, you 
know?  It's sacrilegious, because she's...she's like The Madonna."

Mulder made this loud snorting sound, and then guffawed, sputtering 
out, "The Madonna?"  

Scully pursed her lips and ignored him completely, focused on Frohike's 
words.

The particular emphasis he had put on them told her he was referring to 
the biblical figure, not the popular singer, and had her heart 
twisting.  Coming hard on the heels of the words 'hot' and 'tasty', it 
was an unusual and rather out of place compliment.  It was also the 
sweetest thing she had ever heard Frohike say to her, even if he did 
not know he had.

Scully could not contain a little sniffle, tears sparking in her eyes, 
and for some reason that small sound actually got their attention.  Two 
chairs scraped back noisily in her kitchen, and then they were both 
standing there gawking at her.

Frohike looked mortified, while Mulder still wore an expression of 
amusement.

Mulder spoke first, perhaps to give Frohike a moment to recover, or 
maybe he had seen the brightness of her eyes from her tears.  "Hey, 
Scully.  How was the shopping?"

"It was good," she said, and hefted the heavy bag she was still 
holding.  Her fingers were cramped, so she let it fall to the floor 
with a thud, flexing them several times.  "Mom had fun, she nearly 
bought out this baby boutique."  She turned to shut the door, and then 
took a couple steps forward, shrugging out of her coat.  A moment later 
Mulder was taking it from her, having moved to stand before her, and 
laying it over the back of her couch.  Her gaze flicked to Frohike, who 
was standing stock-still in his same spot.  She continued her patter, 
hoping to put him at ease.  "She hasn't stopped talking about the fact 
that I don't have a crib yet."

That seemed to loosen Frohike's tongue.  "You don't have a crib?" he 
asked, moved a little closer to her and Mulder.  He no longer looked 
like he wanted to crawl under her couch, and his voice became animated, 
though a little shy. "Uh...you know, the guys and I were talking, and 
we've been wanting to get you something for the baby.  But the time 
never seemed right what with..." his voice trailed off, as he looked 
briefly at Mulder.  

No words were necessary.  Scully knew he meant while Mulder had been 
missing.  Another little tug at her heart, more moisture in her eyes – 
both from the memory of that time, and the fact that the guys had 
wanted to buy her a baby gift.

Frohike cleared his throat, and then continued, "Well, anyway, I was 
thinking that maybe we...uh, Byers, Langly and I, could maybe get the 
crib for you.  If that's all right with you, that is."

It was her turn to clear her throat, to rid herself of the huge lump 
that had formed there.  "Oh, Frohike, that's so sweet.  It's definitely 
all right with..." and she reached out to grasp Mulder's hand, "us."

Mulder's fingers squeezed hers.  "Course, I wouldn't go so far as to 
say it was sweet," he quipped.  He and Frohike then shared a mutual 
look of mock horror.

Scully yawned then, interrupting their male bonding, and Frohike 
quickly said, "I should get going," as he hustled towards the door.  He 
stopped beside her, and planted a kiss on her cheek.  His fingerless-
gloved hand touched her belly briefly and then with a muttered, "Later, 
Mulder," he was gone.

"Why don't you lie down, take a nap?" Mulder said, putting one arm 
partially around her and rubbing at her shoulder blades.  He leaned in 
close, his nose nuzzling her hair before he kissed her on her jaw line.  
"We can order a pizza or Chinese later."  His voice was low and 
suggestive.

Oh, dear.  It looked like Frisky Mulder wanted to come out and play.  
As his strength had steadily increased in the last few days, his 
teasing and touching had as well.  It was getting harder and harder to 
resist.  Maybe tonight she would not have to any more.  Tempting though 
a late afternoon quickie might be, she wanted time to savor every 
moment.

"I'll put my feet up on the couch for a bit while you put the lasagna I 
made in the oven," Scully said, patting his arm.  Time to cool his 
jets.  "John is coming at six, remember?"  Because it was difficult for 
John to get away during the daytime, she had decided dinner would be 
nice, and it would give them all a chance to talk, and for John and 
Mulder to get to know each other.

She felt Mulder's fingers tense briefly at her neck, but she did not 
catch his muttered comment.  "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you," she said 
sweetly.  Definitely cooling.

"Uh, I said, oh yeah, I did forget.  Silly me," Mulder replied, his 
voice downcast.  Still he tried, his next words hopeful.  "You look 
real tired though, Scully.  Maybe we should call him and reschedule."

Scully snorted.  In a pig's eye he forgot.  "Nice try, Mulder," she 
said.  "You're the one who kept saying you wanted to meet him, now's 
your chance."

"Yes, dear," he intoned, and released her to bend and scoop up the 
shopping bag she had dropped.

"Watch it, smartass," she told him, and gave said ass, which looked 
mighty fine in his faded jeans, a sharp slap.

"Yes, ma'am, Agent Scully, ma'am!" he barked out, after straightening 
rather abruptly.

Scully bit back a smile.  "That's better," she said.

"Oh, you have no idea how much better I can be," he leered.  He then 
quickly darted in to give her a smacking kiss on the lips before 
sauntering away with the bag.

He always had to have the last word.  Scully grinned now that his back 
was to her.  Not this time.  "You'll have to remind me," she called to 
him, as seductively as she could.  "Over and over."

She was inordinately pleased to see him stumble.

***


6:00 pm


There was a series of sharp knocks on the door at precisely six pm.

"He's punctual, I'll give him that," Mulder said to Scully, who was 
reclining on the couch, her feet in his lap.  She shot him a look that 
said 'be nice', and his answering toothy smile was patently false.  
"I'll get the door, dear," he said brightly, and gave her sock-clad 
toes one last squeeze before shifting, his hands sliding to grasp her 
ankles, and laying her feet down on the cushions.  He stood, and held 
back a chuckle as her eyes flashed up at him.  She was so much fun to 
tease.

She held his gaze for a moment, silently communicating her desire for 
them to have a pleasant evening with John Doggett, and then smiled at 
the slight nod he gave her in acknowledgment.  "Help me up, please," 
she requested, and held both hands up to him.

He obliged by taking her hands in his and tugging gently until she was 
standing on her feet.  He thought to himself that he deserved a medal 
for his admirable restraint these days – she was huffing and puffing 
from getting up, and had given him another of those cute little grunts.  
He heard one every time she rose from the bed or from wherever she 
happened to be sitting or reclining, and he had not laughed.  Not in 
her sight or hearing, anyway.

Her body brushed against his, warm and soft except for the bulge of her 
belly, and her sweet perfume wafted up to tease his senses.  He stepped 
back, so that they were no longer touching, and breathed deeply to 
settle himself down.  Make that two medals.  Lately her proximity was 
almost more than he could take.  And being with her virtually all day 
and all night, he was taking a lot.  A lot, a lot, a lot, as he had 
once said.

Then of course there was that teasing little bit of innuendo she had 
tossed at him earlier that afternoon, about him reminding her of how 
much better he could be.  Over and over, no less.  He had barely been 
able to force himself to walk away.   And he had tripped on the edge of 
the carpet, not because of her words, or her sexy voice, or the fact 
that he was imagining showing her right then and there.  

Mulder shook his head slightly, his breathing having started to quicken 
again.  Enough of that, or he was going to have to leave the room.  Now 
what had he been about to do?  Oh, yeah, get the door.

Determined to play nice for Scully's sake, he pushed his reservations 
and insecurities aside – yes, he could admit, to himself at least, that 
he was a little insecure about meeting the man who had essentially 
replaced him as Scully's partner – and moved to answer the door.  He 
knew Scully would not be far behind, unwilling to leave the welcome up 
to him alone.

Just as he was leaning into the door, to peer through the peephole out 
of habit, despite the fact he did not know what John Doggett looked 
like, there was another series of raps, briefer this time.  Okay, so 
now he could add impatient to the list – Doggett was punctual and 
impatient.  He scrunched one eye shut and peered through the tiny hole 
anyway, seeing the distorted image of a man, and then shrugged and 
stepped back.  Pasting another false smile on his lips, Mulder flicked 
the lock with one hand, twisted the doorknob with the other a split 
second later, and pulled the door open.

Mulder immediately straightened out of his semi-slouch, his chest 
thrusting forward on an inhalation, as he took in the man before him.  
Tall, slender, dark hair, certainly wasn't dog-ugly, but then again, he 
rarely rated other guys beyond the thought 'harmless or dangerous?'  
The jury was out on this one still.

Then he smirked internally. Dog-ugly, Doggett.  He still had it.  But 
there was no one to share it with.  He wished he had asked Frohike to 
stay over, to help act as a buffer, maybe.  Although the grilling he 
had given the little man about Dog-ugly...Doggett...had revealed that 
the Gunmen thought he was okay, and that he had been a great help to 
Scully in the last few months.  And Scully probably wouldn't have been 
too happy with him for adding a guest for this particular dinner.  Not 
that she didn't want Frohike over for dinner - in fact the Gunmen and 
Skinner had been invited for the upcoming Friday.  

"Hello, John."  Scully's voice pulled Mulder from his thoughts, just as 
her elbow jabbed him in the side.  Hard.  He grunted, pushed aside by 
the force of the blow, and realized that his positioning in front of 
the door had blocked Doggett from entering the apartment.  It had been 
completely unintentional, but by the black look Scully shot him, he 
knew she did not think so.  Damn, the man wasn't even in the door yet 
and he was already in shit.  Or the doghouse.  He ducked his head to 
hide his grin, and turned it into a sad-sounding cough.

A second later Mulder straightened once more, thrust his hand forward, 
dipped his head down in a brief nod of welcome, and said, "Doggett."

When Doggett did not immediately offer his hand in response, Mulder 
finally noticed that both of the other agent's hands were full.  He was 
carrying a baguette in a crinkly white paper bag, a bottle of something 
that Mulder could not make out, and a small wrapped box, about the size 
of a box of chocolates.

Jeez, looked like the guy was covering all the bases, Mulder thought.  
For a first date, that is.  What was up with him?  He felt himself 
bristling, and took another deep breath to try again.  "Doggett, I'm –"

Scully brushed past him and reached out to relieve the man of some of 
his burdens, saying, "John, you didn't have to bring anything," in a 
pleased tone, riding roughshod over his introduction.

"Was no problem at all, Dana," Doggett said.  "When you said you were 
making lasagna, I thought some crusty French bread would go nice."  But 
instead of handing that over, he held out the small box.  "Here, these 
are for you.  I know you won't buy them for yourself, even with your 
cravings, so I did."

Mulder was mocking Doggett inside his head about bringing French bread 
to eat with an Italian dish when Doggett's next words registered.  
Cravings?  Scully had cravings?  Mulder was instantly miffed.  She 
never mentioned any cravings to him, and he was always asking her if 
there was anything in particular she wanted or really needed.  

Distracted by the sight and sounds of Scully happily tearing the 
wrapping off her gift, a very un-Scully-like practice, he almost didn't 
hear Doggett say, "Ah...Mulder?  It's nice to finally meet you.  I'm 
John Doggett."

"Uh...yeah.  Mulder's fine, Doggett," Mulder replied, sticking his hand 
out again.  "Nice to meet you too."  See, Scully, I can play nice.  He 
had to fight the urge to squeeze the bejeesus out of Doggett's hand 
though as they shook.  

Scully's delighted gasp had them both looking at her, Doggett smiling 
fondly at her.  Fondly?  What the hell?  

"Marzipan!" she exclaimed.  "Thank-you, John.  This is wonderful."  She 
then surprised the hell out of Mulder by stretching on tiptoe, wobbling 
slightly, to press a kiss on Doggett's cheek.  Doggett of course, had 
obligingly ducked down so she did not have to strain too much.  He also 
kissed her back, his mouth dangerously close to hers as he bussed her 
cheek.

Mulder's shoulders stiffened as he once again drew himself erect.  
Almost before he knew what he was doing, his arm was around Scully's 
shoulders and he was clamping her against his side, squeezing a 
startled grunt from her.

Amazingly Scully did not pull away or lambaste him with her tongue. She 
actually brought her arm up and rubbed his back for a moment before 
pulling gently away.  "Come on in, John.  Dinner's nearly ready."  She 
turned and headed toward the kitchen, the box of marzipan clutched to 
her belly.  

"I'll take that," Mulder said to Doggett, a little abruptly he knew, 
but he couldn't help it.  He indicated the bread and the bottle in 
Doggett's hands.

"Oh, sure.  Thanks," Doggett said, and handed them over.

"Ah, have a seat," Mulder called over his shoulder, and headed into the 
kitchen.  He stopped in his tracks and admired the view.  Scully was 
peering into the oven, checking the lasagna, her feet splayed apart, 
and her rear end swaying enticingly.  He wolf-whistled softly, then 
whispered, "Oh, mama."

Scully snapped upright, her cheeks flushed pink.  Whether it was from 
the heat of the stove or him, he did not know for sure.  He preferred 
to think it was because of him.  "Mulder!" she hissed.  "Shhhhh!"  
Clearing her throat, she spoke in a normal tone, albeit a slight bit 
huskier than usual.  "The lasagna's done, Mulder.  Could you take it 
out of the oven for me while I get the salad?"

"Sure can," he told her, and blew her a kiss.  It made her smile, which 
was the reaction he had hoped for.  Putting the baguette down on the 
counter, he hefted the bottle up towards his face to read the label.  
Sparkling Grape Juice.  Grudgingly, Mulder admitted to himself that it 
was a nice idea, seeing as Scully would not drink any spirits at all, 
including wine.  He put the bottle down next to the baguette and slid 
his hands into Scully's oven mitts, warm from resting on the stovetop, 
and opened the oven door.  The delicious aroma of the lasagna had been 
circulating the apartment for the last half hour or so, but it smelled 
even better up close.  

His mouth watered.  He thanked Mrs. Scully silently in his mind for 
ensuring that her daughter could cook, for Scully had been treating him 
to home-cooked meals ever since his release from the hospital.  He was 
going to have to start jogging again soon before he packed on the 
pounds.  Doing his physical therapy exercises was not going to cut it 
much longer.  Besides, he was feeling stronger every day, and the lack 
of near inactivity was wearing on him.  Scully too, he was sure of it.

He lifted the heavy pan out of the oven and laid it down on the hot 
plate Scully had placed on the counter moments ago.  Shedding the 
mitts, he turned and asked, "What else can I do?"

She held out the chilled salad bowl containing the Caesar salad, tongs 
sticking out of it, and said, "Take this out to the table, please, and 
then you guys can be seated.  I'm going to cut the bread and then put 
the lasagna on our plates.  There's not enough room on the table for 
the pan."

Ugh, great.  He'd have to make polite small talk with Doggett until 
Scully joined them.  Well, here went nothing.  He pasted another fake 
smile on his face and headed out to the table that Scully had set 
earlier.  "Scully said for us to have a seat," he called to Doggett, 
who had not been sitting down, but had been standing by Scully's stereo 
cabinet, perusing her CD collection.

Doggett turned at his voice and walked over to the table to join him, 
his hands tucked casually in the pockets of his pants.  His tie was 
loosened, and his shirtsleeves partially rolled up, and he had shed his 
overcoat, which was lying on the back of the couch.  

Mulder supposed he should have taken it from him, but he hadn't even 
thought about it.  He wasn't used to this domestic scene.  He and 
Scully had never sat on much formality when they had dinner together 
either, before, or recently.  He put the salad down on the table and 
took a seat.

Doggett followed his lead and sat down across from him, leaving Scully 
the traditional 'head of the table' position.  "Ah...Dana has quite an 
eclectic taste in music," he said.

It was strange hearing someone other than Mrs. Scully call Scully 
'Dana', although Skinner had once or twice too when he had visited in 
the hospital, and here at Scully's apartment.  And Scully had called 
him 'Walter'.  That was just weird.  Doggett was staring at him, and he 
remembered the man had said something about Scully and music.  "Uh, 
yeah, she does," he replied.

His small talk was just about tapped out, and he wasn't ready to get 
into the nitty-gritty, which was what had happened to Scully on some of 
their cases, right now.

Scully exited the kitchen, carrying two plates laden with lasagna, and 
he sighed in relief.  If he was not mistaken, so had Doggett.

It was going to be an interesting dinner, that was for sure.

***

6:15 pm


It was going to be an interesting evening, Scully thought to herself as 
she efficiently sliced up the baguette John had brought.  She placed 
the bread in a cloth-lined basket and put it aside for a moment while 
she went to portion out the lasagna.

Mulder was in rare form tonight.

In the past, before their relationship had progressed, his male 
posturing had been subtle for the most part.  Hovering at her side, 
discreet touches at her elbow or back, the occasional glare at anyone 
who got too close.  Which in Mulder's opinion was anything less than 
three feet away from her.  She had found it slightly amusing, somewhat 
endearing, and extremely frustrating, for he had never overtly acted on 
the image he portrayed, in her eyes anyway – that she was his.

Once they had begun their intimacy the posturing had become a little 
less than subtle, but only to her.  His eyes had lingered, his touches 
had almost been caresses, and his body language had spoken volumes.  
Yet at the same time he had been circumspect, never giving away 
anything to those around them.  Although she had at times felt that 
Skinner was fully aware of the change in their relationship, or at 
least suspected one.

But tonight had to be the worst case of Alpha male behavior she had 
ever seen in him, or any other man for that matter.  It would hardly 
have surprised her if he had suddenly peed in the corner to mark his 
territory, or started pounding on his chest bellowing, "My woman!"

He had practically glowered at John when he had seen the gifts John had 
brought, and after she had kissed John on the cheek and he had returned 
the kiss, Mulder had performed a caveman maneuver and hauled her 
against his body.  

Having been bit by the jealousy bug a time or two herself when it came 
to women around Mulder, she had recognized the signs immediately.  And 
accepted it as a natural course of their relationship.  A relationship 
that was in effect, beginning all over again due to his prolonged 
absence.

It was fairly quiet in the other room - there had been a brief rumble 
of male voices and then nothing.  With a sigh, Scully lifted the plates 
for the two men and headed out.  As she approached the dining table she 
had set earlier, she saw both Mulder and John look up, matching 
expressions of relief crossing their features, and it was all she could 
do to turn the laughter that threatened to erupt into a pleasant smile.

John started to rise from his chair, which prompted a now frowning 
Mulder to do the same, not to be outdone, and she hastened to say, "No 
formality, gentlemen.  This is just a casual dinner."  She put their 
platefuls of lasagna on their respective placemats and received a twin 
chorus of thanks.  She returned to the kitchen for her lasagna and the 
basket of bread, and realized she had forgotten to pour drinks.  Her 
gaze flicked to the sparkling grape juice from John, and she knew what 
she would be having.  Mulder would more than likely want water, but 
she'd have to ask John what he preferred, of the limited selection she 
had to offer.

John chose water as well, which was easy enough, and he even offered to 
fetch the drinks himself.  Scully opened her mouth to tell him it was 
no problem, but Mulder beat her to the punch.  He jumped up from his 
seat and went into the kitchen after mumbling he would get them.  
Scully smiled a little nervously at John as they both listened to the 
banging of cupboards and the clanking of glasses.  Should she apologize 
for Mulder?  John's answering smile told her he understood, so she held 
silent.

Mulder emerged a few minutes later, carefully carrying three glasses, 
two of water and one of grape juice.  Once they had accepted their 
respective drinks and Mulder had re-taken his seat, Scully told them to 
dig in.

Surprisingly the meal was a pleasant affair.  Whatever snit or mood 
Mulder had been in, he apparently had gotten himself out of.  He was 
charming and witty, and he did not ask one question about the X-Files 
at all.

Nor did he until after the dinner dishes had been scraped and put in 
the dishwasher, and they were comfortably settled in her living room – 
she and Mulder on the couch, his thigh just touching hers, and John on 
the armchair.

"Scully told me a little bit about what happened after I disappeared," 
Mulder began, leaning forward slightly, elbows on his knees, staring 
intently at John.  "And I'm sure she glossed over a lot of the details, 
so I'd like you to tell me what happened."  Pleasantly said, but a 
demand all the same.

Scully tensed a little, the baby moving restlessly within her, and her 
hand automatically went up to soothe.  She flicked her eyes from her 
view of Mulder's profile to John, who was also leaning forward with his 
elbows on his knees, except his hands were loosely clasped instead of 
dangling down.

"I thought you might," John replied.  He shot Scully a look she 
interpreted as being a reassuring one and then took a deep breath. 
"Well, I don't know exactly what Dana's told you, so I'll start at the 
beginning."  He then proceeded to go over their initial meeting at the 
Hoover building, not shying from telling Mulder of his suspicions and 
his actions, and their very rocky start.  Including the fact that 
Scully had thrown a cup of water in his face.

Mulder's gaze remained steady on John, although he did move enough to 
put one hand on her thigh, just above her knee.  It was heavy and warm, 
and periodically he would give a little squeeze or caress with his 
fingers.  Scully switched the hands on her belly, and put her right one 
on top of his.  At the mention of the water-throwing incident he 
squeezed, and threw her a look of total amusement, which made her blush 
and look down at her belly.

John did not gloss over anything; he gave Mulder the truth, straight 
up.  He told him about the Arizona desert, and their encounters with 
the Alien Bounty Hunter who had impersonated Mulder, his disbelief at 
the time, and how the Bounty Hunter had nearly killed both she and 
Skinner.  

That bit of information earned her a hot look and a near-painful 
tensing of his hand on her leg.  She tightened her hand over his, and 
whispered, "A few bruises, that's all, Mulder."  He relaxed 
infinitesimally.

The Bat-man case in Ohio was next, the name earning a small chuckle 
from Mulder.  John neglected to mention it was he who was injured then, 
so Scully tacked that on when he wound down the story.  Mulder then 
made a small quip about being treated by Dr. Scully, to which John 
nodded and laughed.  

It lightened the moment up, and Scully was relieved.

The next couple cases were explained, without a great deal of detail.  
Because Scully had already told Mulder of her earlier difficulties with 
her pregnancy, her hospitalization during the Ibogan Temple Cult case 
did not raise any alarm.  He did add however, that he had not learned 
of her pregnancy until after the New Year.

Scully sent John an apology with her eyes and touched Mulder's arm.  
When he turned his head to meet her gaze, she leaned forward and said 
quietly, "I didn't know whom to trust.  Only Walter, the Gunmen and my 
mother knew for quite some time."

"And I found out by accident," John added.  "I came by here the day 
after New Year's, and when Dana opened the door, her stomach was the 
first thing I noticed.  We had a long talk, and we started working 
together after that, as real partners, not just two people forced to 
team up."  He then hastened to say, "But I always knew I was just a 
temporary partner, until you came back.  Until, not if."

The two men seemed to share a moment, and Scully felt strangely awkward 
sitting there witnessing them.  It was as if each were acknowledging 
the other's role or place in her life.  Or as if a bone of contention 
had been settled.  She then smiled fleetingly as her words conjured up 
an image of two dogs bristling and snarling over a bone, and a second 
later she realized the correlation with the name Doggett.  Her smile 
widened, and she ducked her head to hide it, slightly ashamed.  She 
mentally chastised herself, and looked once more at Mulder and John.

Mulder nodded then, the tension flowing from his body, and the moment 
ended.  Both men simultaneously sat back in their respective seats, 
their demeanor such that it was evident they had reached some sort of 
wordless understanding.  Mulder even lifted his left arm and laid it 
along the back of the couch, his hand just brushing her shoulder.

The remaining cases were explained in short order, with Mulder asking 
the occasional question, and then John brought up the subject of 
Mulder's return.  Scully had already given Mulder an overview of the 
call from the Gunmen about the unusual activity and the appearance of 
the abductees in the woods of Oregon, and their subsequent trip out 
there, so John really had little to add.

He then told them that with Scully on a leave of undetermined length, 
he had been loaned out to various departments, and when that was not 
necessary he had been looking at a lot of the older files again.

Their talk died down, and the silence was heavy.  Scully grabbed the 
arm of the couch and pushed herself forward, attempting to rise from 
her seat.  Mulder quickly stood and offered her his hand, helping to 
pull her up.  She needed to use the facilities, and offered to put on a 
pot of coffee.  Both Mulder and John declined, so she excused herself, 
hearing them talking quietly as she headed down the hall.

Once done in the washroom, she detoured into the kitchen to retrieve 
the box of marzipan.  The little box of confections had filtered in and 
out of her thoughts all evening, and was calling like a siren's song 
now.  One she could not resist.

Resuming her seat on the couch, Scully opened the box and held it out 
to John, who declined, and then to Mulder.  He took one, eying it 
curiously for a moment before popping the whole thing in his mouth.  

Remembering Mulder's little frown when John had mentioned her cravings, 
as she lifted one from the box, she spoke, keeping her voice calm and 
casual.  "It's funny but I really haven't had any cravings at all, 
except maybe for marzipan, and I'm not sure it's actually a craving.  I 
was at my mom's for dinner one night, and she brought out a box that 
she had brought because I loved them so much when I was a child.  She 
told me to take them home, and I ended up bringing the box to work so I 
wouldn't eat them all myself.  But I don't go out and buy them all the 
time."  That said, she leaned forward and put the box on the coffee 
table before reclining again and sinking her teeth into the candy, 
making a pleased humming sound.

"I'm just glad you like them," John said as he rose from his seat.  "I 
need to be going now though."  He turned to Mulder, who had also risen, 
and offered his hand out again.  "Good to finally meet you, Mulder."

Mulder and John shook hands, Mulder saying, "Yeah, good to meet you 
too, Doggett."

Scully could hear only sincerity in his voice, and was glad the two men 
seemed to be all right with each other.  Otherwise things would be very 
awkward.  She supposed she needed to end her leave and return to work 
for a while, and that they would probably need to have a meeting with 
Skinner, and possibly Kersh to determine the matter of the X-Files.  
With John having been brought in to replace Mulder, and Mulder now 
being back and soon to be fit for duty again, it would be interesting 
to see how things worked out.

Starting to shift on the couch again to get up, she stopped at Mulder's 
voice telling her he'd see John to the door, that there was no need for 
her to get up.  She acquiesced and said, "I'm glad you were able to 
join us, John, and thank-you for the bread and the juice, and 
especially for the marzipan."

"Was my pleasure, Dana," he replied, and bent to press a kiss on her 
cheek.  That done he headed for the door, picking up his jacket from 
the corner of the couch where he had draped it earlier.

Mulder trailed his hand through her hair as he passed her, and Scully 
let her head drop to the cushioned back and let her eyes slip closed.  
She heard Mulder thanking John for joining them, and a moment later the 
soft clicks of the door closing and the lock engaging.

Mulder's hand brushed the top of her head again, and she felt a rush of 
air as he moved to rejoin her on the couch.  The cushions sank as he 
sat down, and when she opened her eyes again, it was to see him bending 
over her.  He gently grasped her ankles and tugged at her legs.  She 
got the hint, and swung her body around and slid down into the cushions 
as he put her feet in his lap.

He began massaging the arches of her feet, and she sighed gustily.  "Oh 
God, Mulder, that feels so good."  Her eyes were mere slits as she 
enjoyed the feel of fingers rubbing and soothing her flesh, and she saw 
the grin that flashed across his face.

"It's just beginning, Scully," he whispered seductively, and she heard 
an all new siren's song.  She shivered.

With delight, and desire.

***


8:20 pm


Mulder shut the door gently after Doggett exited, and turned the lock 
with an efficient twist of his wrist.  The evening had gone better than 
he'd thought it would.  Doggett was an okay guy, like Frohike had said.  
They'd probably never be best buddies, or want to hang out together, 
but the guy was all right.  And Scully obviously liked him, which was a 
point in Doggett's favor, for he trusted her judgment implicitly.   

Heading back to the couch, he saw that Scully had her head back against 
the cushions, her eyes closed.  Flicking a glance at his watch, he saw 
it was not quite 8:30.  They'd been going to bed fairly early lately, 
but not quite this early, and she'd had a nap before dinner.  Was she 
tired already?  Then again, he'd never toted all that extra weight 
around either, nor did he have hormones fluctuating wildly all the 
time.  Well, not those kinds of hormones, anyway, he thought with a 
smirk.

With her teasing of earlier and her receptiveness to his touch and his 
innuendo, he had thought things might actually progress beyond the 
kissing and caressing stage.  He was definitely more than ready. But if 
she were too tired, or 'not in the mood', he would not push.  He'd just 
go take a cold shower.  Again. 

He let his fingers skim across the top of her head as he passed her, 
and sank down at the other end of the couch, bending to reach for her 
legs.  He circled her ankles and pulled lightly.  Scully picked up on 
his intent right away, helping to bring her legs up and onto his lap as 
she shifted her body until she was reclined along the length of the 
couch.  With her thus settled, he began his foot massage, and what he 
hoped was the start of his seduction.  He used his thumbs to knead the 
tender flesh where her little feet arched out, and heard her loud, 
pleased sigh.

"Oh God, Mulder, that feels so good."

Her voice was throaty, the words almost moaned, and Mulder grinned in 
victory.  This was how she sounded when they were having sex, and he 
felt a stirring in his groin.  "It's just beginning, Scully," he 
murmured softly, vocalizing all his pent-up desires.

Scully's feet twitched in his hands, a shiver going through her entire 
body, and he shifted his gaze from his lap to her face.  Her cheeks 
were flushed becomingly, her eyes wide open now and the pupils dilated, 
surrounded by a ring of dark, dark blue.  She had sucked her bottom lip 
in between her teeth, and he could see the pulse at her neck fluttering 
wildly.  Her breathing had become shallow.

As had his.

Desire pooled, thick and heavy, between his legs, and he had to close 
his eyes for a moment, dizzy with the sudden southward rush of blood.  
He couldn't remember moving his hand, but when he felt the muscles of 
Scully's calf bunching under his fingers, and her foot brush his groin, 
he opened his eyes to see that he had indeed moved.  His left hand had 
somehow slid up from her foot, his thumb on the delicate shin as he 
cupped her right leg.  Reflexively, he squeezed the firm muscle beneath 
his fingers, and she shifted slightly, her toes brushing his groin 
again.

He sucked in his next breath, the light contact sending waves of heat 
throughout him, just as she husked, "I hope so."

More heat, burning hotter.  "Mmmmm...In that case, I think maybe we 
should take ourselves somewhere we can be more comfortable," he rasped 
back.  "Like your bed."

This time her foot slid deliberately, teasingly, over the bulge in his 
jeans.  He knew this because of the little smirk on her lips and the 
hot stare she had leveled at him.  "Good plan," Scully said.

Heat?  Did he say heat?  This was rapidly approaching four-alarm fire 
status.  He wrapped his hand gently around her ankle, shifted it away 
from the biggest hot spot, and said, "I'm glad you think so."  He 
lifted both her legs from his lap and rose from his seat, swinging them 
off the couch until her feet found solid purchase on the floor.  
Holding out his hands, he tugged once she had placed hers within, and 
helped her up.

Without releasing her hands, Mulder leaned in and touched his lips 
lightly to hers, barely grazing them, before whispering, "I love you, 
Scully."

Her eyes had drifted shut as his lips descended, and after he made 
contact, she uttered a soft moan, her body swaying into his.  He 
followed up with a butterfly kiss to her jaw and the huskily spoken 
words, "I want you, Scully."

That earned him a half-moan, half-sigh that was his name, and her hands 
gripping his tightly.  She stepped closer, using the support of their 
clasped hands to aid her, so that her body now pressed firmly against 
his.  At the contact, his groin throbbed behind the confines of his 
clothing, pushing into the lower swell of her belly.  His own eyes slid 
shut, his pulse beating madly as he fought the urge to grip her hips 
and thrust.  Taking a deep breath, which he exhaled softly on her skin, 
he let his lips slide along her jaw line, up to her ear.  There, he 
nipped the lobe tenderly with his teeth before breathing into her ear, 
"I need you, Scully."

She shivered and moaned, "Oh, God," before whispering, "Then take me, 
Mulder."

Her words bypassed his brain and went straight to his groin, and he was 
unable to stop his hip movement, bucking up against her.  He sucked in 
another breath, trying to curb himself so that they could go slowly, 
and found a modicum of control.  He trailed his lips back along her 
jaw, open-mouthed, and skirted her waiting lips, detouring down to nip 
her just under her chin before meandering back up to tease his way to 
her other ear.  He nibbled there briefly before pressing tiny kisses up 
the side of her face to her eyes.  He could feel the movement of her 
eyes beneath her lids, and the softness of her lashes on his lips as he 
kissed each eye, and then he moved to kiss the tip of her nose.

Suddenly her eyes popped open and her hands came up to grasp the sides 
of his head, halting his motions.  Looking directly into his eyes, she 
whispered, "My lips, Mulder.  On my lips."  She pulled him towards her 
and ordered, "Kiss me, Mulder."

And he did.

***

8:30 pm


Mulder's lips should be declared lethal weapons.  It was the only 
thought rattling around in her brain that came remotely close to 
rationality.  

He was using them to tease and tantalize her, kissing everywhere on her 
face and neck except the place she wanted them most - her lips.  Scully 
knew he was as excited as she, for she had felt the evidence of his 
arousal, first against her foot, and now against her belly.  He was 
just showing more of his remarkable self-control, normally an oft-
admired trait.  

But not right now.  Not with her pulse pounding, her blood on fire, and 
her body desperately wanting.

He pressed the lightest of kisses on the end of her nose, and she could 
stand it no longer.  Slipping her hands free from his, she lifted her 
arms and held his head still.  Their eyes locked, his heavy-lidded and 
smoky.

"My lips, Mulder.  On my lips," she told him, her voice a whisper.  She 
drew him down towards her.  "Kiss me, Mulder."  The tone was demanding, 
but she was rewarded.

Hot, wet lips pressed firmly on hers, and they stayed that way for long 
moments.  Then her mouth parted on a sigh, and his hands came up to 
cradle the sides of her head, mirroring her hold on his.  He held her 
steady as he plundered her mouth, his tongue swooping in and caressing 
every inch, before it began a duel with hers.

She felt his kiss in every neurofibre, every micron, of her being, from 
her tingling scalp to the soles of her feet.  And she wanted more.

Their embrace had her stretched up on her tiptoes though, her belly 
pressing uncomfortably and awkwardly against his.  But she wouldn't 
change it for the world.

Mulder somehow sensed this, and pulled away slowly, their lips parting 
audibly.  That sound was replaced by that of their combined breathing – 
ragged and rapid – as they panted almost in each other's mouths.

"We should take this down the hall," he said, both his thumbs stroking 
her cheekbones.

Scully nodded, breathless and too wound up to speak, and took one of 
his hands.  She turned, her arm stretched back behind her, and tugged 
him after her.

In the bedroom it was darker, the shades already drawn, with no 
welcoming light.  Scully released his hand to move over to the night 
table and flick the little lamp on to its lowest setting.  It added a 
soft, warm glow to the room.

Shy all of a sudden; thinking of all the changes in her body that 
Mulder had only caught glimpses of this past week, Scully ducked her 
head, allowing a curtain of hair to fall across her face.

Mulder read her easily.  "Scully," he said softly as he moved from his 
spot just inside the doorway to stand before her.  He put one finger 
under her chin and lifted her head up so their eyes met, his hand then 
moving to tuck her hair behind her ear.  "I find you beautiful always.  
Drenched in rain and mud, your hair plastered to your skull, dressed in 
scrubs and one of those ridiculous hats, tired and punchy after an all-
night stakeout.  You name it, I've seen it, and you are still beautiful 
to me."  Both of his hands went to her sides, to cradle her belly as he 
had cradled her head only minutes ago.  "This," and he gently squeezed 
with his hands, "this only makes you more beautiful."  Sliding his 
hands down, he fisted them around the hem of her long-sleeved jersey.  
"May I?" he asked softly.

She was certain her heart had actually stopped beating for a 
millisecond – that it had stuttered to a halt at his words. She was at 
a complete loss for any of her own, her mouth open and moving 
soundlessly.  Keeping her eyes on his, she closed it, and nodded.

He tugged the material upwards with extreme gentleness, and when it had 
reached her breasts, he whispered, "Lift your arms."

Scully obeyed without hesitation, and then he was drawing it up 
further, and over her head.  Her hair crackled with static electricity, 
making her jump slightly, and then she watched as Mulder tossed it 
aside.

His gaze went to her chest, and she was briefly embarrassed that she 
was wearing only a simple, plain white bra.  That was forgotten when 
she saw the look in his eyes, felt the heat from them as he stared at 
her now very generous curves.

Then his eyes dropped, to her belly, and she almost melted at the awe 
and amazement in their hazel depths.  "Oh, Scully..." was all he said, 
and dropped to kneel before her, his head level with her belly button. 
It surprised her; she had been expecting him to remove her bra.  He 
leaned forward, and his lips skimmed over the skin of her belly like 
warm air, barely touching.  "You are so beautiful, and this...this is 
so amazing."  He pressed a kiss on the low curve, and then one on the 
top, just above her outie bellybutton, which had once been an innie.

His hands were at the waistband of her maternity tights, and he lifted 
his chin to meet her eyes once more.  "Okay?" he asked.

She knew he was asking if it were all right for him to remove the 
tights, and again could only nod.

He was as careful as he had been with her top, hooking his fingers 
inside the cotton and drawing the tights away from her body, making 
sure he did not scrape her flesh as he removed them.  He stopped at her 
ankles and said, "Put your hands on my shoulders."

She did, and helped lift her feet, one at a time, until the tights were 
gone.  He chuckled, and she looked down to see he was staring at her 
socks.  "You have cute feet, Scully," he told her, and took them off.
He remained on his knees, and began nuzzling his face into her belly, 
the beginnings of stubble scraping her silk panties.

Scully was thankful she had not given in to maternity underwear; they 
were the ugliest things she had ever seen.  She had gone up a size 
though, and switched to bikini, so they rested below the bulge of the 
baby.  These particular ones were white, with just a hint of lace along 
the waist and leg bands.

She could feel his lips moving against her belly, different from the 
kisses he had placed there, and realized he was talking to the baby.  
That brought tears to her eyes, and she blinked them back before they 
could fall.  

He pressed one last kiss there before rising to his feet.  One hand 
came up, and he used his index finger to trace the shoulder strap of 
her bra, down along the edge of the cup, to the clip in her cleavage.  
His fingers adroitly flicked it open, and then he was pushing the 
material away from her breasts.  Using both hands he slid the straps 
from her shoulders, and with her help, the bra was completely off, 
tossed over his shoulder with flamboyance.

Scully started to bring her hands up to cover her bareness, feeling shy 
once more.  She was nearly nude, while he was still fully clothed.  
Also, her nipples were already hard and pointed, both from the 
combination of Mulder's touch and the colder air they had been exposed 
to, and she was embarrassed once more.  They had changed too with her 
pregnancy.

"Scully," he whispered, and grasped her wrists gently.  He brought her 
arms back down to her sides and released them.  "Beautiful, Scully," he 
said, holding her eyes with his.  "Beautiful."  He brought his hands to 
her hips, thumbs just brushing the edges of her panties.  "Almost 
done," he said, and went to his knees again, to remove the scrap of 
silk.

Once that was done, he stood up and took a step back, his eyes 
traveling slowly over her from head to toe.  Then he smiled, and 
offered her his hand.  When she had taken it he tugged gently and 
helped her onto the bed.  "Lie down," he whispered, and stepped back.  

"But –" she started to protest, trying to tell him she wanted to 
undress him too.  Her hands were itching to touch him, anywhere and 
everywhere.

He interrupted with, "Next time you can undress me.  But if you touch 
me now, it'll be over before we even get started."  He said it with a 
touch of wryness, and a little grin.

The words thrilled her – to hear that she was still capable of exciting 
him, even 8 months pregnant and feeling as large as a house.  She 
nodded at him, wondering whimsically where her power of speech had 
gone, and musing at his ability to read her mind, and slid over on the 
bed.  She arranged herself on her side, elbow propped up, her head 
resting on her hand, to enjoy the show.

***

8:40 pm


He had to remind himself to breathe.

As his eyes ran over her body, Mulder mused that he had never seen a 
more beautiful sight.  It was the only word that came to mind – 
beautiful.  And she was, stunningly and breathtakingly so.  She always 
had been, as he had told her, but standing before him now, she was the 
epitome of beauty.

Her hair was tousled from the removal of her shirt, and gave the 
impression that hands had been run through it during a passionate 
embrace.  He imagined his hands doing that as they lay entwined on her 
bed, saw his blunt fingers tangling in the silkiness.  Her eyes were 
passion-darkened, and heavy-lidded, and her lips were swollen and bee-
stung from his kisses.  He wanted to nibble and suck those lips.  Her 
skin all over was creamy and smooth, dusted with smatterings of 
freckles, and was an invitation for his hands and lips and tongue.  One 
he was denying himself for now.  

And where the skin stretched taut over her belly, it filled him with 
awe. 

Pregnancy had rounded her curves, softened her body, in places other 
than the obvious.  Her hips were lush and full, and her breasts...oh, 
her breasts.  He could spend hours rhapsodizing about her breasts.  
They were the stuff of fantasies.  He had been enamored of them before, 
but now, now he had no words.  Tipped with enlarged nipples a dark, 
dusky rose, her breasts too were full, and generous.

His jeans were getting painfully tight, so held out his hand.  When she 
had taken it, he led her to the bed and told her to lie down.  He saw 
the protest in her eyes even as she started to speak, and told her what 
he knew to be absolute certainty, smiling slightly.  "Next time you can 
undress me.  But if you touch me now, it'll be over before we even get 
started."  

Scully moved to the center of the bed, propping herself up on one 
elbow.  The faint light of the lamp cast her in partial shadow, and 
made her skin glow like warm honey.  He wanted a taste.
 
Moving his hands, he brought them to grasp the hem of his tee shirt.  
With a quick motion he whipped it up and off, throwing it somewhere to 
the side.  He could feel her eyes avidly on him, and looked at her 
again.  He saw them flick down to his midsection, and then a smile 
flirted on her lips.  The expression on her face was almost wanton, and 
sent a fresh wave of arousal through him.

His hands scrambled at his fly unsuccessfully, and finally he had to 
pull his gaze away from her to look down so he could unbutton his 
jeans.  Once he had popped the last button, he hooked his fingers in 
the waistband and pulled down.  As the denim slid past his hips, he 
added a little shimmy, which was rewarded by Scully's pleased, sexy-
sounding chuckle.

Her husky voice called out, "Mmmmm...do that again, Mulderrrr."

The way she dragged the 'r' out in Mulder made his stomach muscles 
clench, and had him shoving his jeans hastily down his legs and off.
She made that mmmmm sound again, and he could not help preening 
slightly, standing tall and proud, showing off his well-defined chest 
and the impressive erection tenting his black silk boxers.

"Come here, Mulder," she said then, and beckoned him with her 
seductively crooked finger.

He needed no further urging, and started to climb onto the bed.  His 
gaze focused then on her rounded belly, and he realized they were going 
to have to be quite creative in their efforts for mutual satisfaction.  
He had no intention of flying solo on this, their first journey in a 
very long time.

"Mulder?" Scully said, her voice hushed, and full of uncertainty.

That had him crawling across the bed to her until they were lying side 
by side, facing each other.  He cupped her cheek, his thumb stroking 
softly, and said, "I don't want to hurt you or the baby."  That thought 
put a slight damper on his arousal.

Scully lifted the hand that had been laying low on her belly and 
covered his on her cheek.  "You won't hurt either of us, Mulder.  We'll 
just have to go slow and gently."

"I can do slow and gentle," he whispered, and brought his head down to 
hers, using his hand on her face to tilt it up slightly.  He brushed 
her lips with his, keeping the contact feather-light, before beginning 
to nibble on her bottom lip.

Scully shivered, and he pulled back to whisper with concern, "Are you 
cold?"

Her lips curled up in a cat-like smile as she shook her head.  "You 
make me hot, Mulder."

It was his turn to react.  Only he did not shiver.  His hand slid from 
her cheek to cup the back of her neck to hold her still as his lips 
descended to kiss her passionately.

Their mouths performed a long dance of foreplay, until their bodies 
cried out for more.

Scully shifted until she was lying on her back and he followed, leaning 
in to kiss her once more.  His hip bumping into her protruding stomach 
stopped him, and he pulled back slightly, his hand entwined in her 
hair.  She giggled a little and said, "This could be interesting."

Interesting wasn't quite the word he would have used.  His mind drifted 
back to a lazy, hazy morning early in their relationship where he had 
awoken her from a light sleep by spooning up behind her and kissing and 
nibbling her neck.  Her husky moan and her delectable butt thrusting 
back against him had led to a mutually satisfying round of lovemaking, 
with him still spooned against her back.   

"Scully," he whispered, staring down into her eyes. "Turn on your side, 
facing the window."

***

8:45 pm


Scully waited in fevered anticipation for that first glimpse of 
Mulder's bare skin.  Effectively, they had been living together this 
past week, and she had certainly been afforded many opportunities to 
see him in all his glory – Mulder was unabashedly blasι about his 
nudity, and made no attempts at false modesty in her presence – but it 
was different now.  Their baby steps these last few days had all led to 
this very moment.  One that had been forecast during their first heated 
kiss many days ago.

Mulder did not tease her with the removal of his tee shirt, he merely 
tore it off in one quick movement, muscles flexing and bunching, and 
discarded it on the floor.  His bare chest was thus revealed, with its 
V-shaped sprinkling of hair that narrowed down to trail into the 
waistband of his faded Levi's – the happy trail she had once heard it 
called.  She followed it with her eyes, and they widened when she saw 
the ample evidence of his arousal.  

It was both an exhilaration and a relief to see such evidence.  For 
despite his assurances that she was beautiful even with the changes 
from her pregnancy, she had still felt a little unsure.

Then his hands went to his waistband, and his fumbling fingers were 
proof of his nervousness, and made her smile slightly.  He opened the 
top button, and she swore she could hear the 'pop' as the metal disk 
slid free of the buttonhole, as if all her senses were heightened from 
her arousal.  Her tongue darted out to moisten her suddenly dry lips, 
and she realized her mouth had been open slackly in appreciation.

The rest of the buttons went pop, pop, pop in quick succession, each 
one resounding through her body in a thoroughly delightful way, and she 
had to suck in her breath when his hands slid under the waistband at 
his hips.  He pushed down, and even added a wiggle of those hips, and 
this time she had to chuckle – in appreciation and pleasure.

"Mmmmm...do that again, Mulderrrr," she said, and was amazed at the 
purring sound of her own voice.  Never had it been that deep or husky, 
and where had she learned to drawl his name like that?

Mulder was obviously effected by it, he shoved the jeans down and off 
in mere seconds.  Amused, she could not contain her hum of delight.  
That too had an effect on him, for he seemed to stop and pose for a 
moment, his chest swelling as he stood tall and proud.  

And proud he should be she thought, staring at him.  Even though he had 
not fully regained his previous weight or muscle tone, he cut a fine 
figure.  His black silk boxers were the perfect accompaniment to his 
olive-tinted skin, drawing her eyes to both the tight abdominal muscles 
above the band that rode low on his hips, and the strong, muscled 
thighs below.  The material was considerably stretched over his 
erection, and she felt a fluttering deep in her belly that had nothing 
to do with the baby inside her.

"Come here, Mulder," she said then, once again purring, and curved her 
finger in a come-hither gesture.

He started towards her eagerly, knee on the bed, when he hesitated.  
Scully said his name softly, wondering what was wrong.  At that, he 
completed his journey, coming up beside her, his hand cupping her cheek 
with supreme tenderness.  His reply went straight to her heart.

"I don't want to hurt you or the baby."  

She placed her hand overtop his and reassured him softly, telling him 
they only needed to take it slow and gently.  And felt the tension flow 
from his body as he told her he could do that.  He tipped her face up 
with a finger beneath her chin, and began to tease her lips with 
brushing, nibbling kisses that made her shiver with want and need.

She smiled when he asked her if she was cold, for that was the farthest 
thing from the truth.  If she were any hotter, she thought she'd 
spontaneously combust.  She smiled inwardly as well, picturing his 
reaction to her uttering such a thing, and said simply, "You make me 
hot, Mulder."

Mulder's hand left her cheek to move to the nape of her neck, as he 
pressed his lips to hers in a blazing hot kiss that went on and on.  

The arm that she had been propped on grew weak, and she allowed herself 
to fall back onto the pillow, accidentally breaking their lip lock.  
Mulder's body followed hers automatically, his gaze intent on her lips, 
but he was brought to a stop when his hip bumped into the mound of the 
baby.

She couldn't help giggling at the surprise in his eyes, and said, "This 
could be interesting."

His eyes rose to meet hers, staring intently, and after what felt like 
forever but was probably only a minute or so, he whispered her name, 
and then said, "Turn on your side, facing the window."

Immediately upon hearing his words, moisture flooded the juncture 
between her thighs as memories flooded her mind.  Memories of a time 
before his disappearance, of a time when their physical relationship 
was still fledgling, and each and every moment was an entirely new 
experience for both of them.  She saw herself and Mulder sensuously 
embracing, lying on their sides, the whole length of his body plastered 
to her back, her top leg thrown over his thighs.  Their movements 
languid and slow; their sighs and moans a perfect counterpart.

She could recall with stunning clarity the feel of his slick skin 
sliding over hers.  The feel of his thick cock pumping in and out of 
her.  The feel of his hands, one clenched in her hair, the other 
tangled in the curls of her mound, his index finger circling the tiny 
bundle of nerves hidden there.

Scully sucked in a noisy rush of air.  Her pulse was thunderously loud 
in her ears, her blood pulsing rapidly through her veins.  It was from 
both the memory of what had past and from the promise of what was to 
come, and it had her obeying him unhesitatingly.  Cupping her belly 
supportively with one hand, she used the other to help herself roll 
onto her left side, feeling Mulder's hands offering gentle assistance.

While she got herself settled, he traced patterns on her back with the 
lightest of touches, sending gooseflesh rippling along her spine.  Then 
he placed a kiss on her shoulder and brought his face close to her ear.  
"Are you comfortable?" he husked into the skin just below it, setting 
off another round of the ticklish torment.

A throaty mm-hmmmm was all she was capable of responding with, but it 
seemed Mulder was quite satisfied with that, for he chuckled into the 
same spot before sliding his lips up to nip her earlobe.  It was an 
exquisite torment.  She raised her right arm up and behind her to fist 
her hand in his hair.

Doing so gave Mulder the perfect opportunity to tease her in other 
ways, for it provided him with full access to her upper body.  He 
skimmed his hand, which had been resting lightly on her hip, up her 
side and then down to gently cup her breast.  His thumb swept across 
her already turgid nipple, and she inhaled sharply at the dart of 
pleasure that skittered through her body, thrusting her breast more 
completely into his hand.

At that, he made a humming noise of his own, and moved until his body 
was firmly along hers.  She could feel the silk of his boxers against 
her bare thighs, and she could also feel the silk-encased steel of his 
erection pressing insistently against her derriere.  With a little 
movement of her hips, she pushed backwards and wiggled slightly, 
drawing a husky moaned approximation of her name.

His hand tightened fractionally on her breast and it was her turn to 
moan.  Mulder thrust his hips while slowly stroking his thumb back and 
forth across her nipple.  It was extremely sensitive, and the 
repetitive motion of his thumb was driving her wild.  Meanwhile his 
lips and tongue were still busy at her neck, adding to the intensity.

She managed to turn her head towards his, and he took the hint and 
caught her lips with his.  The position was awkward, her neck bent as 
it was, but she didn't care.  She loved these slow, wet kisses that 
seemed to go on forever too much to worry about a crick in her neck.

She finally had to pull away though, gasping for air, and after a few 
seconds, breathed out, "Mulder, as much as I love this, enough 
foreplay!"

Mulder growled her name, and his hand slid from her breast back to her 
hip, pressing her back into him as he thrust his erection against her 
once more.  A pleasure-filled shudder worked its way out from deep 
inside her and she moaned.

***

8:55 pm


In one part of his surprisingly busy brain, considering he was putting 
a concentrated, all-out effort in making love to his woman, Mulder was 
still worried that Scully might be uncomfortable.  Particularly with 
the way she had her neck craned back so their lips could meet.  Yet she 
made no complaint, in fact her tongue was quite enthusiastically 
exploring his mouth, so he then decided she would let him know if there 
was a problem.

Which she did, moments after his disjointed thoughts, by tearing her 
lips from his, panting harshly.  And what she said then nearly blew his 
mind.  Both the words themselves, and the way she said them, husky and 
breathless, filled with want and need.  "Mulder, as much as I love 
this, enough foreplay!"

He tried to say her name, but it came out more as a grunt or a growl, 
and he instinctively thrust into her backside.  His hand had already 
slid down to grip her hip, and he used it to push her back into him, 
increasing the exquisite pressure.

Her body undulated against his as she moaned low and deep, triggering 
an answering moan from him and another thrust of his hips.  

His silk boxers had become a restricting cage.  Restraining the beast 
that did not want to be caged, he smirked to himself, amazed he still 
had enough brain function left to think of jokes.  Placing a kiss on 
the slope of her shoulder, he whispered, "Hold that thought."  

He turned onto his back, hands already at his hips and pushing the 
boxers down, carefully easing them over his throbbing erection.  He 
lifted his hips off the bed, unwilling to leave her side even for a 
moment.  His feet were planted on the mattress and all his weight on 
his upper back, and he was able to shove the boxers down to his knees 
with little difficulty.  A few kicks and they were sailing through the 
air to land somewhere on the floor.

He rolled back onto his side, probably before they even hit the ground, 
about to spoon himself around Scully again.  But that spot at the base 
of her spine, that little dip where his hand rode so comfortably, so 
familiarly – his spot – beckoned to him.  So he detoured, and pressed 
his lips there in an open-mouthed kiss.

Scully hissed his name, her body shivering against his mouth, and he 
smiled.  Instead of moving up as he had planned, he lingered there, 
alternately nipping with his teeth and then soothing the spot with 
broad strokes of his tongue.  

On one such stroke, he encountered a rough patch of skin, and he 
immediately remembered her story of the case in Utah.  Pushing it 
firmly from his mind, he avoided the rough patch, and meandered up her 
back.  He ran his tongue along her vertebra; stopping occasionally to 
suck or kiss a particular spot that drew his fancy.  Scully shifted and 
wiggled, uttering breathless moans and sighs that might have been his 
name.  She did not seem to have noticed his momentary pause.

His mouth veered to the side, and he nuzzled briefly at the juncture 
beneath her arm, hearing her giggled sigh.  The sound thrilled him, so 
he repeated the action, before pressing a kiss on her shoulder once 
more, ending his journey where it had begun.  

His hardness was nestled against her behind, his chest and belly 
pressed along her back, and his face buried in the curve where her neck 
became her shoulder.  He let his hand slide over her hip and down to 
tease at her curls, wanting to bring her pleasure.  His circular 
movements on her tiny bundle of nerves had her hips bucking, grinding 
her backside into his erection, and wrung another moan from her.  An 
entreaty.

"Please, Mulder," she husked.

The sound of that throaty plea told him the time for teasing was past, 
that she was more than ready.  One last swirl of his fingers, and then 
he slid his hand from between her legs, trailing it over her hip and 
down one soft cheek to the back of her thigh, cupping it.  "Lift your 
leg," he whispered, and when she did, he brought it back gently to 
drape over his thigh.  "Is this okay?"   His hand slid back up to grip 
her hip once more.

"Uh-huhhhhh," Scully sighed back, and he grinned momentarily at having 
made her lose the power of speech.  She then wiggled in a way that made 
his erection slide between her slightly spread legs, rubbing against 
her moist haven. 

All his nerve endings sizzled at the contact, and his eyes slammed shut 
as his breath stuttered in his lungs.  He gulped for air.  Scully 
surged slowly backward and then forward, intensifying the contact 
between their lower bodies, and he moaned, the sound guttural and deep. 
"Ahhhhhh."  Apparently speech was beyond him too. 

Mulder shifted his hips, bringing him closer to her, and took himself 
in hand, guiding his length into her waiting wetness.  She hissed in 
her next breath, her body tensing slightly, and he stopped partway, 
giving them both time to adjust, breathing heavily through his nose.  
He ducked his head a little and nuzzled her neck.  "Okay?" he 
whispered, and felt her nod.  With a quick, firm thrust, he was buried 
to the hilt.  At last, he was truly home.

They moaned in unison.

He held still for as long as he could, soaking in the incredible 
sensations, something denied them both for so long.  He knew Scully 
felt the same way, for her body was quivering against his in her own 
effort to remain motionless.  He could also feel her heartbeat through 
his chest pressed to her back, and it matched the rapid beating of his.

He also knew if he didn't take it slow right now, if he didn't pace 
himself, it could all be over in minutes.  He did not want this new 
first time, this renewal of their bodies, to be quick, and possibly 
unfulfilling for Scully.  He wanted it to last and last, to savor, to 
relish, to draw out their pleasure for as long as he could.  Deep, even 
breaths helped to calm his racing heart.

But it did not calm the urge, the incredible need, to move.  The 
sensory overload was nearly too much, and he could wait no longer.  
Groaning her name, the fingers of the hand on her hip tightening 
fractionally, Mulder pulled out with excruciating slowness, until only 
the tip of him was inside, before gliding back in, with what seemed 
like equal leisure.  It was not leisure though.  It was torture – 
glorious, wonderful torture.  He bit his lip, his eyes once again 
closing in ecstasy.  He had slipped his other arm between the mattress 
and her neck, and his hand clutched at the pillow her head lay upon, as 
his other hand clutched convulsively at her hip.

"Ah, God...Mulderrrrr..." Scully moaned.  "Sooooo gooooood."  Her left 
hand, which had earlier been fisted in his hair and had most recently 
been lying limply across her belly, moved to cover his on the pillow.  

He released the pillowcase and turned his wrist so that their fingers 
could mesh together, as their bodies were also meshed.  "You feel...you 
feel amazing, Scully," he whispered back, and moved his hips to pull 
out of her to the tip again.  This time on the return glide he added a 
little swivel of his hips.

"Ooooohhh," was Scully's moaned response, along with a squeeze of her 
internal muscles.

It was like she had him in a vice.  A vice lined in silk.

"Scuh-leeee!" he groaned out, seeing spots behind his closed lids.  
This time it was she who chuckled, and then she squeezed him again.  
The feel of her insides milking him was so intense, so incredibly 
erotic, that the primal instincts to thrust madly nearly took over.
He pulled out and surged back in rapidly once, twice, before he forced 
himself to slow, shuddering with desire.

"Mulderrrrr," Scully gasped out.  "Don't stop."  She wiggled her hips 
and clenched her inner muscles again.

"I couldn't even if I tried, Scully," he murmured into her neck, and 
started to move again.

Slow, gliding thrusts at first, punctuated with a teasing swivel on 
each down stroke.  Gradually his thrusts increased in speed and 
intensity, as Scully tried to move in rhythm with him.  But she was 
hampered by her position, and could only thrust shallowly forward and 
back.  She murmured his name, and her frustration was obvious.  She 
released his hand and slid hers along the mattress until it was level 
with her belly, planting her palm flatly.

Mulder realized that the placement of her hand allowed her better 
leverage, as the movements of her hips became stronger, harder.  She 
began to meet him thrust for thrust, little humming moans escaping her 
mouth with each one.

Those sounds, and her motions, helped accelerate the desire within him 
to a feverish pitch, and his own thrusts became less controlled, his 
hips moving like pistons.  

"Mulder..." she mewled his name, her breath hitching.  "Oh, Mulder..."

His only regret was that he could not see her face, could not see the 
ecstasy crossing her features.  See the flush on her face and breasts, 
see her eyes go all blurred and unfocused before she scrunched them 
shut, see her mouth opening in that tiny 'O' she always made when she 
came.

Which would be very soon, he knew.  Her movements were becoming choppy, 
uncoordinated, and the muscles in her legs had started to quiver.  As 
had his.  He could also feel that familiar tingle in his balls that 
signaled the beginnings of his release.

He sped up even more, and managed to grunt, "Come with me, Scully," 
into her ear before latching his mouth onto the skin over her delicate 
collarbone.

Whether it was his request, or the feel of his mouth on her body, or a 
combination of the two, she came apart.  One last hard push back into 
his pelvis, and then she went completely still.  Except for the wild 
pulsating of her walls, clamping tightly onto his length.

Just before his eyes slammed shut and his world exploded, he saw her 
hand fist around the material of the comforter, and heard her long, 
drawn-out moan, "Mulllldddeeerrrr..."

It was echoed by his cry as he emptied himself into her, over and over 
in what seemed like a never-ending stream of ejaculate. 

"Scuh-leeeee..."

***

9:05 pm


"Come with me, Scully," she heard in her ear, the words and their 
implied command/plea arrowing straight down to her center. 

But it was the feel of his wet, hot mouth on her clavicle right after 
them that threw Scully over the edge.  Her climax, which had been 
building and building, flared into a crescendo of intense pleasure.  
She surged back into him, her eyes tightly closed and mouth hanging 
open on a soundless scream, and then held herself motionless.  
Motionless except for the exquisite throbbing that coiled out from deep 
inside her.

Oh, God.  It had been so long since she had felt such incredible, 
intense pleasure.  Pleasure that bordered on pain.  She had missed 
Mulder with a grief that had been astounding and all encompassing, but 
she had missed this so very badly too.  Not just the act of sexual 
release, but the touching and the holding, and the closeness that came 
with it, and after.

She tightly clenched her fingers around a fistful of the comforter and 
moaned his name as she came in pulsing, fluttering waves that glittered 
and sparkled on her closed eyelids.  "Mulllldddeeerrrr..."

Mulder's body jerked, and she knew he was following her into the abyss.  
His hand tightened spasmodically on her hip, as he yelled her name in 
hoarsely elongated syllables, and achieved his release.

He quivered against her for long moments while she enjoyed the faint, 
residual flutterings as her orgasm slowly abated, and then sagged 
heavily onto her.  His hand slid from its place on her hip and moved to 
cup her belly as he murmured her name in a sated yet awed voice.

She even relished this time, when his heaviness draped over hers, and 
was almost too much.  His heat settled over her like a blanket, and she 
was enveloped in his scent – sweat and his soap, and his own unique 
Mulder smell.  "Mmmm...Mulder," she mumbled back, and then realized her 
thigh was aching in its position thrown over Mulder's legs.  Covering 
his hand on her belly with hers, she shifted her hips and brought her 
leg back down, moaning slightly.

He was immediately concerned.  His head lifted from its place in her 
neck and he leaned over her shoulder to peer at her face, his eyes 
wide.  "Scully?" he asked, voice tight.  "What's...are you...is...?"

She smiled to reassure him, rolling a bit onto her back to see him 
better.  He accommodated her by inching back a little and lifting his 
upper body off of hers.  But his hand remained on her belly.  "Mulder, 
if I were any better...or wait, maybe that should be if you were any 
better, I'd be melted into a puddle."  Some of the tenseness left his 
features, and a cocky smile flirted at his mouth.  But the question was 
still in his eyes.  "My leg was getting sore," she told him.

"I thought...that maybe...it was too much for the baby," he said 
softly, squeezing her belly with gentle fingers.

Just then there was a fairly strong kick against their hands, and 
Scully giggled slightly.  "I think all that...rocking...lulled him or 
her to sleep." 

Mulder waggled his eyebrows at her, silently mouthing, "rocking", 
before smiling fully. 

Another kick came, more forcefully then the first one, and they both 
jumped a little.  "And apparently nap time is over," she added wryly.  
She brought her other arm up, so that her palm could cup his cheek.  
"And Mulder, this won't hurt the baby, as long as we're careful, and 
not too energetic."  Her mind was harking back to some of their rather 
exuberant lovemaking sessions, and her eyes fluttered partway shut, a 
dreamy smile of remembrance curving her lips.

Apparently Mulder was on the same wavelength, for he murmured,  "Ooh, 
energetic.  Scully, don't get me going again."

"Is that all it takes?" she teased, running her thumb over his lips.

He was quick, and caught her thumb with them, drawing it into his 
mouth, as he nodded his head at her.  He applied gentle suction for a 
moment, circled the tip with his tongue, and then released her thumb 
slowly.

The warmth of his mouth and the mild pressure on the digit awoke a 
faint tingle within her, and she husked his name.  A little 
regretfully, for she knew she was not quite up to a round two.

He again seemed to know what she was thinking and said, "Although the 
answer is yes, that's pretty much all it takes, you near me that is, I 
know we both need to rest up for the next event."  His hand left her 
belly, which was rippling and moving as their baby continued with its 
exercise, and took hers to bring it to his lips.  He placed a kiss on 
her palm before lowering their joined hands back to her belly, and then 
leaned in to kiss her lips almost chastely.  "I love you, Scully," he 
said against her mouth, his eyes intent on hers.  "More than I know how 
to say."

Her heart skipped a beat, then settled back into its natural, if 
slightly accelerated rhythm, and her eyes welled with tears.  "Oh, 
Mulder," she sniffed, and blinked rapidly in an effort to hold the 
flood back.

"Hey," he chided softly, leaning in again to rub his nose on hers.  
"That's supposed to make you smile, not cry, silly."

She sniffled again.  "It does make me smile."  Sniff.  "It makes me 
happy.  Very happy."  Her hand came up to knuckle her eyes.  "I know 
I'm being silly, I just can't help it!"  The last bit bordered on a 
wail, and she huffed her breath out in disgust at herself.  Seeing 
Mulder's bemused smile, she had to laugh, albeit a watery chuckle.  She 
cupped his cheek again, sobering.  "I love you, Mulder, and hope I say 
it often enough for you to know it as truth.  Our truth."

His hand covered hers, and he nodded against it.  "You do," he 
answered, his voice like gravel, sending a delightful little shiver 
down her spine.  "And when you don't, I see it in your eyes.  I feel it 
in your touch.  I know it, here," and he moved his hand to tap over his 
heart, "and here."  His hand then lifted to tap his forehead.

The man was bound and determined to turn her into that puddle she had 
mentioned, and not just from sexual desire.  She sighed gustily, 
thankful he hadn't turned on her waterworks again, and smiled gently.  
"I'm glad."  She managed to get up on one elbow and fluttered butterfly 
kisses over his cheek and nose before kissing him smartly on the lips.  
"The baby's kicking me in the bladder again," she explained, and 
struggled to rise.

Not bothering to hide his smirk, Mulder helped her roll over and off 
the bed.  He even had the audacity to pat her on her bare butt as she 
tested her after-sex legs, and remark, "Waddle on, little lady."

"I'm not going to dignify that with a response," she sniffed, trying to 
ignore the little chill that had chased through her body at the feel of 
his hand on her rear.  She scooped up her nightie that was lying at the 
foot of the bed, and headed out of the bedroom, trying desperately not 
to waddle.  The sound of his laughter trailing after her told her she'd 
failed.

God, she loved that man.

***

4:45 am


The bed shifting, followed by a rush of cool air, awoke Mulder from a 
very pleasant dream.  Pressing his face into his pillow, laced with 
Scully's delicate scent, which sometimes seemed to permeate the very 
air around him, he smiled, still partially under the dream's spell.  A 
very, very pleasant dream.

Mmmmmm, Scully.  

He tried to recapture the dream before it was gone, and was successful. 
She was naked, and sitting astride him, with her head arched back, 
exposing the long line of her milky white throat.  His hands were on 
her hips as she flowed over and under and all around him...

Mulder stretched out his arm, still lying on his stomach, wanting to 
touch her for real, and encountered not the warm, soft skin of his 
lover, or even the cotton of her nightie, but empty space.  He 
reluctantly pried open the one eye not buried in down, loathe for the 
delightful images lingering in his mind to leave, and saw that Scully 
was indeed no longer beside him.

Groaning, he rolled over, feeling his semi-erect penis shift in its 
silk confines, and kicked the covers off.  After he sat up and rubbed 
the sleep out of his eyes, he realized he could see a light shining in 
the hallway.  She was probably on one of her frequent bathroom visits, 
but since he was awake, and after glancing down at his lap, he tacked 
on and 'up', he might as well go check on her.

He scratched absent-mindedly at his belly after standing, and stretched 
a bit before shuffling out of her room and into the hallway.   It was 
the bathroom light he had seen, and the door was not closed, although 
there was no noise from within.  Slightly concerned, he stepped over to 
it, not crossing the threshold, and leaned against the doorframe, 
peering inside.

Scully was standing there in the middle of the bathroom, her hands on 
her back, which was to him, doing...absolutely nothing.  His eyes 
traveled her length, from the nape of her neck revealed by her bent 
head, along the curve of her spine to her still shapely ass.  They 
lingered there for a moment, causing a significant stirring in his 
already aroused nether regions.  The hem of her tee shirt-style cotton 
nightie stopped at mid-thigh, and his eyes roamed down her legs next, 
to her tiny, bare feet.  Her toes were curled, most likely in deference 
to the chill of the floor, and he wondered why she was not standing on 
the fluffy bath mat but on the cold tile.

"Scully?" he said softly, not wanting to startle her, for she did not 
seem to have noticed he was there.  "You okay?"

She spun around, a little too quickly it seemed, and had to reach out 
to grasp the edge of the sink for balance.  He had moved towards her 
too, and his hands settled on her shoulders. "Oh! Mulder," she husked 
out, one hand going up to her chest, to cover her heart.  She took a 
few quick breaths before asking, "Did I wake you?  I tried to be 
quiet."

He lifted a hand to her cheek, stroking it softly.  "No, I just missed 
you," he told her.  She swayed into him at his touch, and her very full 
midsection bumped the front of his boxers.  He could not help the 
instinctive move to push against her, nor the small groan that escaped 
him at the contact.

Scully tilted her head back so that he could see the teasing smile on 
her lips.  "Missed me or wanted me?"

"Both," he husked out, and brought his other hand up so that he framed 
her face with both.  He stared into her eyes, watching the pupils 
contract as he slowly lowered his head.  She kept them open until his 
lips first brushed hers, and then they fluttered shut.  As he pulled 
back slightly, her breath sighed out to wash warmly over his mouth, and 
he gulped in her air before leaning in to press his lips onto hers once 
again, this time more firmly.

It was a surprisingly chaste, close-mouthed kiss, considering his now 
full-blown erection was happily making its presence known against her 
belly, and her hands had twined themselves into his hair to clutch him 
to her.  She was also humming her approval in the back of her throat in 
that way that made his insides quiver.

Then she darted her tongue out and traced it over his lower lip.  

Chasteness went out the window as one hand left her face to move down 
and grip her hip, while the other hand slid around to cup the back of 
her neck, and his mouth opened to draw her tongue inside.  She made a 
small sound, a pleased humming moan, and tilted her head to the side so 
that their mouths could better mate.

And mate they did, in a deep, soul-searching kiss that was both never-
ending, and not near long enough.

Until his back and neck complained, and he had to break free of her 
mouth and hold, and straighten up.  Her eyes opened slowly, and he saw 
that they were cloudy with passion, as he did not doubt were his own. 
She smiled then, and it was a smile of love and lust.  He took her 
hands in his, and started to walk backwards, tugging gently for her to 
follow, which she did.  He gave her his patented leer and crooned 
smarmily, "Care to take this somewhere more comfortable?"

Her steps halted.  "Mulder, if I weren't so –" 

"Horny?" he supplied helpfully.  Hopefully.

"Mulder!" she admonished, her hands releasing his to land on her hips, 
and one eyebrow crooked in that familiar way, and then giggled 
suddenly.  She wiggled both eyebrows in a credible leer.  "Well, 
actually, I guess that's true..." her voice trailed off as she took a 
step forward, and she grimaced.

Mulder's gut clenched, and he stepped forward, his arousal draining 
more quickly then it had arrived.  "Scully!" he got out around the 
sudden obstruction in his throat.

His hands were reaching for her even as she was grabbing one of his 
arms, apparently for balance, for she then lifted one foot up to rub 
over the calf of her other leg.  He said her name again, questioningly.

"It's okay, Mulder, I'm fine," she said, sounding a little cross.  He 
was relieved, but wounded at the same time.  However, her next words 
explained her disposition, and had him sympathizing.  "I've been 
getting really bad cramps in my calves lately, usually in the middle of 
the night.  My mother told me an old wives tale, or folk remedy, 
whatever you want to call it, and that was to stand on cold tile.  
Would you believe it actually works?" she said to him in bemusement, 
meeting his eyes.  "Anyway, that's why I was in here, because a really 
bad one woke me up.  It's still a little achy."

"Well maybe Doctor Mulder can be of some assistance," he murmured 
teasingly, now that his fear had been alleviated.  He took her hand and 
tugged on her arm again.

"And how, pray tell, can Doctor Mulder help?" she queried, a smile in 
her tone and on her face.  She followed, limping just slightly.

"With his magic doctor's fingers," he replied with a cocky grin, and a 
waggle of said fingers.

"Mmmmmm...I like the sound of that," she husked back.  "And these days, 
I never turn down a massage of any kind."

Mulder had high hopes this particular massage would turn into a massage 
of a different kind – one that dealt with the inside of another part of 
her body, and a suddenly rejuvenated part of his.

***

4:45 am


Scully felt goosebumps chase over her skin when her feet encountered 
the chill of the tiles.  She felt slightly ridiculous standing in the 
bathroom dressed only in a nightie, trying to relieve the cramp in her 
calf.  There was absolutely no scientific basis for this remedy her 
mother had told her, and in fact, she was going to go back to...

It worked.  

The sharp cramp in her left calf, which had awoken her from a sound 
sleep, not to mention an extremely nice dream involving Mulder, her 
claw-foot bathtub and a loofah, was abating.  She'd have to remember to 
call her mother and thank her for the solution to the newest of almost 
nightly troubles as of late.  

Her hands went to her hips, palms supporting her back, as she stared 
down at her belly, which was rippling gently.  Her baby was definitely 
a child of the night, like its father.  The majority of the lovely 
little side effects of being pregnant – frequent bathroom visits, 
cramps and back aches, to name a few – occurred late at night, or in 
the wee hours of the morning.  A relatively uninterrupted stretch of 
sleep was a thing of the past now, and she knew that when the baby was 
born, it was likely to get worse.

"Scully?  You okay?"  

She heard Mulder's soft voice speaking to her, and spun around in 
surprise, catching sight of him in the doorway.  Lost in her thoughts, 
she had not heard him approach.  The movement was too quick for her 
skewered sense of balance, and she stumbled, hands reaching out and 
thankfully finding the sink's edge to grasp.  Just milliseconds later, 
Mulder's hands were on her shoulders, providing more support.  They 
were hot through the fabric of her nightie, and she could smell his 
sleepy, sexy scent. "Oh! Mulder," she breathed out, her heart pounding 
a mile a minute from the fright, her near fall, and his overwhelmingly 
masculine presence.  She placed a palm directly over her heart, as if 
the contact would slow it down, and took a couple quick breaths before 
speaking.  "Did I wake you?  I tried to be quiet."  

He had been lying on his stomach when she had first awoken to the 
screaming pain in her calf, and had not moved at all when she sat up to 
try and rub the pain away, nor when she actually got up and left the 
bed, doing her best to be soundless.

His hand lifted to caress her cheek as he replied.  "No, I just missed 
you."

The sweet response had her insides melting, and her body naturally 
gravitated to his.  Scully felt him against her belly, and immediately 
a tingle began between her legs.  When his hips thrust into her and he 
groaned, the tingle intensified.  The instinct to flirt was not 
suppressed.  "Missed me or wanted me?" she cooed, turning her head 
coquettishly to the side, already knowing the answer.

"Both," was his response, followed by his other hand coming up so that 
her head was cradled in his palms.  Her heart made a long, slow slide 
into her belly as she watched his head descend towards hers.  At the 
first brush of his lips, her eyes drifted shut, suddenly too heavy to 
keep open.  She exhaled heavily, and then his lips were on hers, firm 
and hard.

She thrilled to the feel of his tumescence growing against her, and 
brought her own hands up to fist in his hair, inviting him to continue 
their kiss.  She felt a vibration in her throat, and realized she was 
humming.

He did continue the kiss, but made no move to deepen it.  So she 
decided to encourage him along, by trailing her tongue along his full, 
pouty bottom lip.

It worked, wonderfully so.  His hands moved, one to cup the back of her 
neck, the other to close over her hip.  The thumb of that hand settled 
low, and a fresh round of goosebumps chased over her skin.  She made a 
sound – a groan, a moan, she wasn't sure – and sucked on his tongue.

Her back was arched uncomfortably, her toes were sore from her full 
weight on them as she stood on tiptoe to remain in their heated kiss, 
and she did not care.  Scully was startled when he broke the contact 
between their lips, and was slow in opening her eyes.  They met his, 
dilated nearly black with his arousal, with only a corona of beautiful 
hazel around, and her lips curved in a loving smile of hunger.

Mulder took her hands and tugged on them for her to follow as he walked 
backwards out of the bathroom.  His mouth moved in a leer and he said, 
"Care to take this somewhere more comfortable?" 

She stopped, somewhat incredulous.  It was a pick-up worthy of a 
sleazy, lecherous lounge lizard, a habit she had thought she had broken 
him of.  Although he had certainly looked very sexy when he had said 
it.  Still, it wasn't something one said to the mother of one's child 
to romance her back to bed, even if the mother in question was hot for 
his bod.  "Mulder, if I weren't so –"

"Horny?" he interrupted.  The lounge lizard was gone, and he just 
sounded hopeful.  And aroused.

"Mulder!" Scully reproached automatically, hands on her hips, and her 
eyebrow raised.  But then she realized it was true - she was horny, 
incredibly so.  She giggled, and then moved both eyebrows up and down 
at him.  Starting forward again, she said, "Well, actually, I guess 
that's true..."  She stopped in mid-sentence as her calf protested.  
Not cramping again, but a definite painful twinge that had her 
frowning.

It also scared Mulder, who lunged to her, his choking cry of her name 
an obvious sign of his worry.  She grabbed his arm, conveniently there 
in front of her, and used it to hold herself steady as she rubbed at 
the ache with the top of her other foot.  He said her name again, the 
query apparent.

Annoyed with the seemingly never-ending joys of pregnancy, Scully 
grumped back, "It's okay, Mulder, I'm fine."  The slight snap in her 
voice sunk in, and she felt guilty for taking it out on him.  She 
quickly explained in a far more reasonable tone what had happened, and 
shared her amazement that her mother's remedy had really worked.  He 
looked sympathetic as she added, "Anyway, that's why I was in here, 
because a really bad one woke me up.  It's still a little achy."

His quick comeback had her smiling.

"Well maybe Doctor Mulder can be of some assistance," he said in a low 
voice that teased and promised.  He grasped her hand within his, and 
started her forward again.

She loved playful Mulder.  "And how, pray tell, can Doctor Mulder 
help?"  She went with, walking gingerly on her left leg.

"With his magic doctor's fingers," was his confident reply as he 
displayed his waggling hand.

"Mmmmmm...I like the sound of that," she returned, putting a hint of a 
purr in her voice.  "And these days, I never turn down a massage of any 
kind."  

And of course, there was a good possibility the massage would lead to 
other considerably more pleasant activities.  The quick flick of her 
eyes to the front of his boxers revealed that the possibilities were 
more than good.

He turned, and led her down the hallway.  She grinned at his back, 
watching the enticing play of the muscles, before her eyes slid to 
watch the shift of other muscles against black silk.

The tingle became a slow, steady burn.

And when she finally felt his strong hands kneading her calf firmly, 
the burn flared hotter.  

Mulder had arranged her in a nest of pillows, half on her side, half on 
her back, and her left leg lay across his lap.  Her eyes kept closing 
in pleasure, though she fought to keep them open so she could watch 
him, and she was practically purring.  

Mulder glanced up at her under his brows, and there was heat in his 
gaze too.  Holding her gaze, one of his hands began to make its way up 
the inside of her thigh in a light, teasing stroke.  His touch bordered 
on being ticklish.

Magic, indeed.

Scully shivered, and her head moved restlessly on its downy soft pillow 
as she sighed his name.  Her legs fell open wantonly, and on an indrawn 
hiss of breath, he suddenly shifted so that he was lying on his stomach 
between them.

His head was level with her knees, and the silky strands of his hair 
brushed fleetingly against her sensitive skin, just above where knee 
smoothed into inner thigh.  Her eyes rolled back in her head when his 
warm breath danced over her skin, followed seconds later by his lips 
traveling slowly upwards.

***

5:00 am


Her skin was so smooth, so soft.

Mulder marveled at how velvety it felt against his slightly roughened 
and calloused fingers as he kneaded and rubbed her calf.  Knots in the 
muscle fell away under his touch, and he smiled to himself as
Scully relaxed more and more into the pillows he had arranged around 
and under her.

She was also making a pleased little sound that reminded him of a 
kitten's purr, and did incredible things to his insides.  Not to 
mention the rest of him, particularly the flesh between his legs, which 
was once again surging to complete fullness, tenting his boxers.  It 
had never actually settled down after their passionate kiss in the 
bathroom, but he had been ignoring it in his desire to take care of 
Scully, to soothe her discomfort and pain.

His own skin felt hot, almost itchy, in that way he knew could only be 
relieved by her touch.  His heart was pounding a constant, rapid beat, 
and he could feel a light sheen of sweat decorating his brow.

He moved his eyes up along the length of her body, without lifting his 
head, and saw that she seemed to be as aroused as he.  Scully's breasts 
were rising and falling with her quickened breathing, the pulse at her 
neck beat a furious tattoo, and her lips were wet and parted.  Even as 
he watched, her tongue darted out to swipe over them.  He wanted his 
tongue to be the one moistening her lips, wanted her tongue to be 
touching his lips.

Their gazes met, and locked.

Encouraged and emboldened by the heat he saw in her magnificent blue 
orbs, he skimmed the fingers of one hand up her leg.  Past her knee, to 
the delicate flesh of her inner thigh.

Mulder felt the shiver run through her body, and watched as her eyelids 
fluttered, her head turning from side to side on her pillow.  His name 
was a breathy sigh as her legs parted in invitation.

He sucked in his next breath noisily at her pose of abandonment, laying 
sprawled amongst the pillows in all her feminine glory.  Heat flared 
through his body and ignited the fire in his groin, and he quickly 
rolled onto his stomach, until he was lying between her opened thighs.  
His now rock-hard erection was pressed into the mattress, and he fought 
the urge to move his hips and heighten the contact.  

In the cradle of Scully's legs, he found himself surrounded by the 
fruity, airy scent of her perfume and body lotion, fragrant on the 
pillows and sheets, and emanating from her skin.

Leaning in closer, he exhaled softly onto her leg, seeing the 
goosebumps rise in his breath's wake, and followed up by placing his 
lips very gently on the side of her knee.  They just barely grazed her 
skin and then he moved slowly upwards, interspersing the light caresses 
with nipping bites, careful to use only his lips.

There was another scent now, deeper and headier.  Muskier.  The scent 
of her arousal.

His nostrils flaring, Mulder closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, before 
nuzzling his face briefly against her thigh.  Shifting a bit higher on 
the bed, he propped himself on his elbows, and slid his palms along the 
tops of her thighs to the hem of her nightie, catching it with his 
thumbs.  He continued up, dragging the material with him, and 
encountered only more bare flesh, as opposed to the cotton or silk of 
panties.  A tremendous surge of lust ran through him when he realized 
she was not wearing any, and had him thrusting his hips into the bed.

His hands froze in mid-action.  "Scuh-leeee," he groaned, and 
temporarily suppressed the instinct to bury his face between her legs 
and devour her.  Slow and gentle, he reminded himself.  Slow and 
gentle.

Looking up, he saw her watching him with heavy-lidded eyes, her head 
propped on a pillow, and a satisfied smile on her lips.  "Surprise," 
she said softly.

Mulder returned her smile, and nodded.  Dipping his head he placed a 
wet, sucking kiss high on her inner thigh.  It was her turn to moan, 
and when he looked at her again, her head had fallen back onto the 
pillows, and her eyes were once again closed.  Resuming the upward 
tugging of his hands, he brought the nightie up to bunch just below her 
generous breasts, revealing her entire tummy, swollen with their child 
and glowing pearly white in the faint light of the early morning.

It was the most beautiful, the most incredible sight he had ever seen.    

He inched forward a little more, until part of his upper body rested on 
her thighs, and placed a reverent kiss just below her bellybutton.  He 
made no further move, and let his lips rest there upon the swell of 
their baby.  When he had not moved for several seconds, Scully opened 
her eyes and lifted her head.  His eyes met hers and she smiled again, 
but it was a warm, tender smile, a smile of sharing, of understanding.  

Then her hands came down to grasp the hem of her nightie, nudging his 
hands away, and he let go, bringing his arms down to prop himself up on 
his elbows once more.  As he watched avidly, she rose up slightly, and 
slowly pulled the nightie over her head, throwing it to one side.

A toss of her head was next, followed by her arms lifting to smooth her 
flyaway hair into place.  The move was uncalculated, he knew, but it 
was seductive all the same.  For it showed the line of her throat in a 
move reminiscent of the dream that he had been torn from not so long 
ago, and it caused her breasts to lift and sway with the movements of 
her arms.

Her darkened nipples were hard points that begged for his attention, 
and he wished there was a way for him to be two places at once.  
Silently promising them their own time, he reluctantly tore his gaze 
from the fertile beauty before him, and lowered his head to the reddish 
thatch of curls between her legs.

Mulder nuzzled her with his nose, inhaling deeply, and rocked his 
pelvis into the bed with the lust surging anew through his body.  Then 
he set about pleasing her with his lips and teeth and tongue.

***

5:10 am
 	

Scully loved so many things about Mulder.  

There was his dry sense of humor, which often bordered on self-
deprecating, his relentless convictions, his unwavering determination. 
His sense of loyalty.  His brilliance, and seemingly boundless energy.  

There was the way his eyes changed color with his moods – going from a 
placid hazel to vibrant green when angry, and golden amber when 
excited.  The shape of his fingers, and the strength within his hands. 
His lean, runner's body and his firm ass.

But right now, the thing she loved most about him was his mouth.  

His oral skills were beyond exemplary; her lover was a genius.  A 
maestro, who played her body so perfectly – his lips and teeth and 
tongue working in flawless concert, inspiring a symphony of ecstasy.

In fact, she was surprised she had not burst out in song.  Though the 
moans and near constant humming were quite close, she had to admit.  
She had never been particularly vocal, but with Mulder she could not 
contain herself.  Did not want to contain herself.  She knew he loved 
to hear her verbalize her pleasure, that it in fact heightened his own.

She moaned again then, as his tongue danced over her aroused flesh, and 
felt her hips buck upwards in an attempt to deepen the flirting 
contact.  Mulder's hands tightened minutely on her hips, holding her 
still, and he chuckled, creating a pleasing vibration that had her 
squirming again.

And saying his name in a long, drawn-out plea.

Whether it was her frantic movements, or the tone of her voice, Scully 
did not know.  But she was rewarded by his mouth closing over her tiny 
bundle of nerves, hardened to an almost painful nub by his teasing, and 
sucking strongly. 

Pleasure soared higher and higher in her body, rising to a crescendo, 
and bringing her to a fever pitch.  Her thighs quaked, her hips were 
off the bed, grinding herself against his mouth, and her hands were now 
tightly fisted in the hair above his ears, holding him to her.

His teeth scraped her then, and she exploded.  Her mind fragmented into 
a million pieces while she gasped for air and her body shook and 
shivered, and then settled back into place.  Scully sighed and sagged 
down against the pillows, heart pounding furiously, breaths still 
panting in and out.  "Mulder," she said hoarsely, the only speech she 
was capable of at the moment, lifting heavy-lidded eyes to stare at his 
dark head nestled between her thighs.

He nuzzled her curls once more, and then lifted his head, grinning 
abashedly, eyes glinting with passion and triumph.  "Mm-hmmm?" 

"Just...Mulder," she sighed, eyes slipping closed in blissful 
repletion, her inner walls still fluttering and spasming.

His laugh was soft.  "Glad to be of service."  His moan when he shifted 
against her legs was equally soft, muffled.  A little pained. 

But Scully heard it, and understood immediately the reason for it.  Her 
head came up off the pillows as she said, "Mulder, I want..." Suddenly 
absurdly shy, she could not say the words - that she wanted to please 
him with her mouth as he had pleased her.  She tried again, "If you 
move up here somehow, I can -"

He interrupted her with a shake of his head, and said in a voice like 
honey poured over gravel, "I want to come inside of you.  With you."  
Again he had intuited what she had been trying to say.

Her arousal, which had tapered off slightly with her incredible 
release, surged to full life again.  "Oh, God, yes," she gasped out.

Mulder moved back, coming up first on his elbows, and then rising to 
his knees, his manhood jutting out proudly, thick and hard.  "Lift your 
hips," he instructed, and when she did so, arranged a pillow beneath 
her bottom with gentle care.

Doing so tilted her pelvis up, and she understood why when he moved 
forward, still on his knees, and back into position between her legs.  
His hands - his large, warm, strong hands - then slid under her thighs 
and lifted her legs, draping them over his spread upper thighs.  In 
this position, her feet still touched the mattress easily, lying flat. 
And offered wonderful leverage, she thought wickedly.  It was also a 
very revealing pose, with her knees bent and legs open wide.

Mulder took himself in hand and slowly guided his hard flesh until it 
was nudging at her entrance, breathing heavily through his nose.  He 
flicked a glance at her, and she nodded, knowing he was silently asking 
if it was all right.  At her nod, his gaze dropped back down, his hands 
moved to her hips, and with a slow thrust of his, he was partially 
inside.  "Scuh-leeee," he groaned.  "You feel so good."

"Oh, mmmmm...you too, Mulder," she sighed, and wiggled slightly, 
encouraging him to slide deeper.

Which he did, to both their delight.

***

5:15 am


Hot.  Wet.  Tight.  Pulsating.

Heaven.

Finally buried to the hilt within Scully, Mulder waited a few glorious 
seconds, relishing the feel of her walls fluttering and squeezing him, 
before he began to move in slow, gliding strokes.  He was suppressing 
the automatic instinct to thrust madly – the one that came upon him 
whenever he was inside of Scully - with tremendous effort.  He also 
continued to breathe heavily through his nose, positive he was panting 
like a racehorse.

But then again, Scully was making just as much, if not more, noise as 
he was.  She was definitely not a quiet wallflower or shrinking violet.  
When he had been pleasing her with his mouth just minutes ago, and he 
had no doubt he had pleased her, and pleased her well, she had been 
quite vocal.  Something that was a very big turn-on for him, as she 
well knew.  

It had surprised him a long time ago during the early stages of their 
newfound relationship when Scully told him after a bout of noisy, 
playful sex that she was not normally so loud.  That she was actually 
very quiet and reserved.  The news had been somewhat like a shamed 
confession and had sent his ego skyrocketing.  That is until she had 
brought him down a peg or two by using her secret Doctor skills to have 
him wailing to the heavens and crying for mercy.  

Mulder lifted his gaze from her thatch of curls, having been enthralled 
by the sight of his cock slowly sliding in and out of her sex, to stare 
at Scully's face.  She was biting her lower lip and watching him watch 
them, her eyes glittering like dark jewels.

Her teeth released her lip and she moaned his name, "Mulderrrrr."

The sound of his name spoken that way in her husky, passion-drenched 
voice sent a jolt through his entire body, and his hands tightened 
momentarily on her hips in reaction.  That urge to thrust harder and 
faster was stronger, but he held back, gritting his teeth with the 
strain, and continued to pump in and out with the same long, slow 
strokes.

Scully moaned again, and he could see her arms, which had been lying at 
her sides, stretch out so she could grab handfuls of the comforter, 
fisting her finger tightly around the thick down.  Her back arched 
then, and he felt the muscles of her legs flex as she used her planted 
feet to lift her hips slightly, and undulated her body beneath him.

Mulder adjusted his rhythm to hers, and she kept her gaze locked on his 
as they moved together in seamless concert.

It was intensely and powerfully erotic, and he would have been unable 
to look away even if he had wanted to.  He was in a position of 
dominance, towering over her supine form, effectively pinning her to 
the bed, yet it was she who controlled him.

Her lids fluttered shut then, but quickly reopened, and she bit her lip 
again, her breath coming in harsh pants.  A moment later something 
flashed in her eyes, and she grinned, tightening her internal muscles.

"Witch," he gritted out lovingly, as intense waves of pleasure 
ratcheted throughout him.  Yet once again he stilled that primal 
instinct, and continued at the same leisurely pace, although it cost 
him.  Sweat had gathered on his forehead and chest, and along his 
shoulder blades, and breathing had become a supreme effort.  He 
wondered idly if the expression on his face was as fierce as he 
imagined it to be. 

"Tease!" Scully shot back at him breathlessly, with equal tenderness.  
There was a beautiful pink flush on her cheeks and the tops of her 
breasts, and her lips invited kisses – they were red and wet, and 
swollen from her own teeth worrying them.

"For both of us, believe me," he admitted in a gasped rejoinder.

Determination crossed her face, a new smile on her lips – one of 
challenge - and then she squeezed her vaginal muscles again.

The gauntlet had been thrown; the battle lines were drawn.

He did not think he could hold up for long if she kept up the exquisite 
torture.  His hold was tenuous and fading fast.  But maybe he could 
tilt the scales in his favor once again.  Leaning back slightly, taking 
all his weight and that of her legs draped over his onto his haunches, 
he skimmed his hands up along her sides in a whisper-soft caress and 
down again.  He did this several times, careful to brush the sides of 
her breasts with each pass.

Scully shivered and threw her head back, exposing her throat, as tiny 
whimpers escaped her mouth.  She then took a deep breath, lowered her 
chin so that she could meet his eyes again, and thrust upwards with her
hips.

The new position had also caused him to withdraw partway, but at her 
move, he was fully enveloped in her pulsing liquid heat once more.  It 
felt so damn good, so much more intense because of the new angle of 
penetration, that his hands tightened on her hips again and he had to 
thrust rapidly in and out a few times before he forced himself to stop.
He gulped in air, but managed to keep his eyes focused on Scully.

He knew she was enjoying this as much as he, but he wanted her quaking 
and trembling all around him from a second orgasm when he came.  On the 
next downward glide of his hands, he went a little further past her 
hips, letting his thumbs brush the edges of her mound.

This time she hissed in a breath, her lower body twitching and hips 
thrusting instinctively.  Her lips opened, and then she was biting the 
bottom one, and Mulder got the impression she was holding back a 
scream, or a cry that might have been his name.

He determined to try a little harder.  As he teasingly ran his fingers 
along her ribcage, instead of merely brushing against her breasts, he
allowed his hands to actually cup them briefly, his thumbs rubbing over 
her nipples.

"O-oh."  The sound that passed her lips was broken, desperate, and her 
back arched in an effort to increase the contact on the very sensitive, 
hardened nubs as her eyes finally slipped shut.

Mulder grinned in triumph, and slid his hands away, back down her ribs 
to tease her hipbones with his thumbs, in slowly widening circles.  
Coming ever closer to the place where they were so completely connected 
physically.

But Scully was not yet ready to admit surrender.  Opening her eyes 
again, she met his boldly; flicking her tongue out to lick her lips – 
another enormous turn-on of his, and released her strangleholds on the 
comforter.  Because of the bulge of the baby and their position, very 
little of him was in arms reach.  But she made do with what was 
available to her.  She first skimmed her hands up and down his thighs, 
raising gooseflesh that made him quiver, before trailing her fingertips 
over his hips to scratch at his lower belly.  The muscles there jumped 
and skittered in reaction, and she smiled wickedly.  A moment later one 
hand slid even lower, until she had encircled his cock with her thumb 
and index finger, while he was still inside her.

"Scuh-leeee!" he groaned, and bucked his hips in reaction.  She 
squeezed his cock then, and he had to suck in a lungful of air to gasp, 
"I surrender!  You win."

Scully's smile this time was far gentler.  "We both win, Mulder," she 
said.  Her fingers squeezed once more and then left his cock, her hands 
stroking back down his thighs before she threw them up over her head, 
arching her whole body. 

Mulder leaned forward, hands coming down onto the mattress on either 
side of her hips to support his weight, and pressed a hard kiss onto 
her lips.  He then murmured, "I love you," against them before 
straightening.  His hands went back to grasp her hips to pull her 
towards him as he began to thrust steadily.

Scully husked out, "I love you too, Mulder," and started to move her 
pelvis in small circles, grinding herself into the hardness of his body 
with each of his thrusts.  

He had been hard before he even tasted her, and now with her movements, 
his arousal had ratcheted several notches higher.  He was certain he 
was now harder than he had ever been.  What she did next had him 
sinking his teeth deliberately and painfully into his lower lip, in an 
effort not to lose control yet.   

Scully had started to rhythmically clench her inner muscles, her walls 
grabbing and pulling at his cock, drawing his orgasm forward.

But it was too soon; he had to send her over the top before he went 
over.  The pain in his lip helped, took just the slightest edge off the 
intense pleasure.  Relaxing his hold on her left hip, he glided his 
fingers teasingly to her mound, the first two searching for, and easily 
finding the little bundle of nerves.  He pressed down lightly, feeling 
it pulse and throb, and Scully twitch beneath his touch.  His gaze 
flicked from her face, her head arching back again and her eyes 
squeezed shut, to his hand at her curls, watching as he began to rub in 
fast, firm circles.

"Ahhhhh, Mulderrrrr," she sighed, bucking her hips now in an effort to 
increase the pressure against her clit.

He obliged, swirling his fingers faster and faster as he continued to 
thrust steadily.  Feeling the beginning flutterings of her orgasm deep 
inside, pulsing along his cock.  "Come for me, baby," he whispered.  

And she did.  With one final lunge upward, thrusting her pelvis hard 
against him, her legs flexing and tightening on his thighs, and then 
trembling as she quivered and quaked all around him.  Keening his name.

His orgasm coiled out from the base of his spine, his hips jerking and 
thrusting madly.  It slammed through him, his entire body going taut, 
head thrown back and mouth open on a silent cry of ecstasy as he 
emptied himself in her.  A few last, almost uncontrollable thrusts, and 
then he stopped, chest heaving and pulse pounding to slump partially 
over her, still careful even in his orgasmic bliss not to put any 
weight on her belly.

"Scully," he panted out, mouth dry and his voice raspy.  "Love you."

***


5:40 am


His heartbeat was now a steady, slow thumping against her back.  
Finally slowed from the frantic, frenzied beat she had felt some 
minutes ago, as he had lain slumped around her legs in exhausted 
repletion.  His entire length was pressed all along her body, his arm 
covering her belly, and he was like a human blanket of warmth, holding 
back the slight early morning chill that was permeating her bedroom.

Scully shifted slightly and stretched out, feeling the ticklish brush 
of Mulder's crinkly calf hairs against the soles of her feet as she 
straightened her legs.  Her thighs were a little sore from having been 
draped over Mulder's, but she was too satiated and blissful to really 
care that she might pay for that indulgence later.  

Utterly and completely satiated, she corrected herself with a 
satisfied, smug smile.  Her body felt soft and warm and loose, not far 
from slumber.  Which was good, because she needed a few more hours of 
sleep before she would have to get ready and head to the Hoover 
Building for her meeting with AD Skinner.  They were going to discuss 
her return to work until her maternity leave, which was tentatively 
scheduled to start a week before the baby was due.

"You okay?"  Mulder's rumbled query was spoken into the nape of her 
neck.  It was where he had buried his head after he had spooned himself 
around her when she had climbed back into bed.  Which had been once she 
had cleaned herself up and availed herself of the washroom yet again.

His words vibrated against her skin, and sent a pleasant little shiver 
down her spine.  Sleepily she murmured, "M'okay.  Legs sore."

Scully felt him smile and was amazed when he still managed to put a 
very credible leer in his voice, despite his tiredness.  "Wanna 
massage?  My magic fingers are still ready, able and willing."  He 
shifted slightly and one set of said fingers fluttered over her hip, 
where his arm had been draped.

She actually giggled, albeit weakly, and wiggled her backside into his 
groin.  "Not so ready, methinks.  And I wouldn't be bragging about the 
able either," she teased, before spoiling her retort with a massive 
yawn.

He huffed into her neck, making her giggle again, and mock-growled, 
"Fingers, Scully, I said fingers."  Another huff and then he whispered, 
"Massage going once...going twice...?"  His voice trailed off on a 
questioning note.

Her hands had been clasped together and tucked under her chin, but she 
freed one to come down and laid it over his, now on her belly.  "Sweet 
offer, but I'm okay," she told him.

"Okay," he repeated, and nuzzled her neck briefly before whispering, 
"Love you."

"Likewise," she whispered back, and snuggled down into her pillow. A 
moment later she felt him sag heavily against her as he dropped into 
sleep.  It amazed her how easily he did that now, for she knew about 
his troubled sleeping patterns, had known about them for a very long 
time.  She had silently ached for him until it had become acceptable 
for her to sympathize with him, or to offer succor.  

It also left her feeling a sense of pride, or perhaps triumph, for he 
had once somberly told her it was only when he was with her.

She yawned again, and closed tired eyes, once more rubbing her cheek 
against her pillow, waiting to drift off into slumber.  Mulder's hand 
twitched on her belly, and she sleepily waited for the baby's answering 
kick.  It had been quite active after their early morning romp, and 
then had settled into a semi-responsive pattern, shifting and rolling 
on occasion.

But instead of a kick or a lazy roll, she was surprised by a twinge 
deep in her lower belly.  Her eyes popped open, her body tensing.  It 
had been similar to the pre-menstrual cramps she had often suffered.  
One that had her wincing and biting her lip to hold back a moan.

Scully took a slow, careful breath, inhaling through her nose and 
exhaling through her mouth, and was relieved when the twinge was not 
repeated.  Sliding her hand off of Mulder's, she gently rubbed the spot 
where the twinge had seemed to be, and forced herself to relax.  

This time the baby responded, surging gently against her hand, and a 
smile passed over her lips, just before another yawn overtook her.  She 
let her eyes slide shut, and followed Mulder into slumber.

***

End Part 7 of 12