TITLE:      The Easiest Thing in the World (3/3)
AUTHOR:     Rafferty
FEEDBACK:   rafferty@highstream.net
RATING:     NC-17 for sexual situations and a few explicit words
CATEGORY:   MSR

Additional headers in part 1.


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The Easiest Thing in the World (3/3)
By Rafferty


About Two Weeks Later
Bellefleur, Oregon


"There has to be an end sometime, Scully," he whispered raggedly 
next to her ear.

He was breaking her heart.  She knew he didn't mean an end to 
their new involvement, but rather he was talking about her 
quitting the X-Files.  But even that was painful to contemplate.  
It would mean they wouldn't be able to see each other nearly as 
often, she wouldn't be able to watch his back for him, take care 
of him when he was hurt out in the field.  He would be out of 
town on cases constantly and she would be left home to miss him.  

She knew he would miss her too.  It had been two weeks since the 
night he had asked her to stay with him and they had made love.  
Since then, he had been effectively courting her, taking her to 
real dinners at real restaurants, calling her just to tell her he 
was thinking about her, holding her hand when they were alone, 
and kissing her socks off every chance he got.  They hadn't made 
love again since that first time--both of them seemed to be 
uneasy with such a quick transition from a relationship where 
they had no sex, to one where they had it constantly.  So, they 
were both enjoying the deliciousness of mutual anticipation, 
knowing that it would happen again spontaneously at some point 
soon.

Ironically, Mulder's incessant and blatant flirting had toned 
down quite a bit, indicating to her delight that he was taking 
their new arrangement seriously.  They had talked about more 
personal things--their previous relationships, their upbringings, 
a few secrets each had never told anyone else.  She could now 
honestly say he knew her better than anyone and vice versa.

And now he was asking her to walk away from the one thing that 
brought them together.  Why did there have to be an end sometime?

She turned over to face him.  "Why now, Mulder," she whispered, 
tears clogging her throat.

He thought about it a moment, touching a fingertip to her 
cheekbone in a tender caress, before replying quietly, "Because 
for the first time since we met, my overwhelming selfish need to 
have you with me constantly has been eclipsed by my desire to see 
you happy."

A couple of tears escaped to trail down her cheeks.  Her heart 
was swollen with suppressed emotion.  She couldn't leave their 
work, couldn't bear to, because she knew now with certainty that 
her own selfish need to be with him was eclipsing her own pie-in-
the-sky dreams.  She was now convinced happiness wasn't possible 
for her unless Mulder was a huge part of the picture.

Not to mention the fact that he needed her in their work, to keep 
him safe, to keep him sane.  And she knew too much now to go back 
to the blissfully ignorant existence of the 9-to-5 world.

"You don't know what would make me happy," she choked out.

"I know that you want to have a child.  That you would be the 
best mother in the world," he told her gently.  When more tears 
started to escape and run down her face in rivulets, he wiped 
them off with his thumbs and went on.

"And I can help you with that.  We can find a way together."

God, what she wouldn't give to have a child with this man.  She 
was speechless, drowning in glimpses of a future she wanted so 
badly she could taste it, knowing from their recent IVF attempt 
just how futile these hopes were.

"I need to know that you're safe, Scully.  And....and fulfilled.  
That you're not wasting your future because of me."  

He traced her eyebrow with his thumb. "We can do this, Scully.  
We can have a halfway normal life.  We just have to make a few 
adjustments, that's all." 

He bent his head to hers in a tender kiss.  "Just promise me 
you'll think about it," he entreated softly against her lips.

She didn't answer, was incapable of words at the moment.  She 
didn't want to think about leaving their work, walking away from 
their history, forgetting all of the trauma they had suffered 
together.  All she wanted was to pull Mulder completely around 
her and lose herself in him forever.  

"Hold me, Mulder," she whispered.

His look became intense.  They both were well aware she hadn't 
promised to think about the subject at hand, but she knew he 
wouldn't push her.  

So, he crawled underneath the covers next to her, wrapped her in 
a cocoon made up of his entire body and held her as reality 
slowly drifted away to be replaced by dreams of an alien ship in 
a dark forest, searching for something incredibly important in a 
hot desert, and of holding a tiny, sweet smelling baby in her 
arms.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


The Next Evening
Mulder's Apartment


Mulder had just finished packing his suitcase and was about to 
call Scully when he heard her distinctive footsteps in the 
hallway outside his door and a familiar anticipation swept over 
him.  It was starting to feel like he wasn't even complete unless 
she was with him.  Hell, who was he kidding.  He'd felt like that 
since practically day one.

He opened the door before she finished knocking.  She offered no 
smile, no greeting, just stood there looking sad and tired, with 
that little crease between her brows that she always got when she 
was worried or agitated.

After a few seconds of silent communication, he reached out a 
hand, she accepted it, and he pulled her into the privacy of his 
apartment, shutting out the world beyond his front door.

He didn't let her hand go, just began walking toward his bedroom, 
Scully trailing quietly behind him.

"I just finished packing.  Need to make sure I didn't forget 
anything," he informed her as he let go of her hand and indicated 
she should sit on his bed.

She looked down in resignation at the contents of his suitcase, 
then watched him prowl through one of his drawers in which he 
kept electronic devices which he had either stumbled upon 
himself, or the Gunmen had rigged for him in the past.  He liked 
to call it his Spy Stash.

When he was sure he had everything he might need for his return 
trip to Oregon, he zipped up his suitcase and put it in the 
hallway outside his bedroom door.  Then he returned to Scully, 
who had been silent the entire time, and knelt in front of where 
she was sitting on the bed.

He placed his hands on hers where they rested in her lap, noting 
that they felt like ice.  Her face looked pale, too.

He reached a hand up to tuck her hair behind her ear as he spoke 
gently, "I need to ask you something.  And I don't want to hear 
that you're fine as an answer.  I want to you to give me an 
honest answer."

He took her continued silence as acquiescence so he went on.  "Do 
you think your dizzy spells might be an indicator that your 
cancer is coming out of remission?"

She offered him a tired, worn smile as she reassured him, "No, 
Mulder.  I don't.  I haven't had any nosebleeds, and it doesn't 
feel the same as when I was sick before."

He released a pent-up sigh of relief.  "I think you should call 
your doctor and have some tests run.  Just in case."

She just nodded slightly, and they just continued to watch each 
other.  He had a very odd feeling that he wasn't going to see her 
again for a while, so he was trying to memorize every detail of 
her lovely face.

"Mulder, I have a very bad feeling about this," she finally said.

"About what?"

"About this trip.  This...case."

When she didn't continue, he waited patiently, knowing she was 
trying to find words to express a feeling she didn't quite 
believe in.

"I don't know how to explain it, except that I think I'm having 
some kind of premonition," she finished, gesturing with her hand 
in a frustrated manner.

*Did Scully just say she was having a premonition?  Damn, there's 
never a tape recorder around when you need one.*

"You know Skinner's going with me, Scully," Mulder reassured her.  
Then, just to see her smile, he added, "No one messes with the 
Skinman and lives to tell about it."

He was rewarded with a small smirk from her.  But it was 
fleeting, and she sobered quickly.

"I want to go with you," she said in a husky voice.

He closed his eyes, afraid he would capitulate at the desperate 
pleading in her expression.  In all sincerity, she could probably 
still go, although he thought she'd have a hard time convincing 
Skinner that she should since he was now informed of the 
situation.

When he opened his eyes again, he could see hurt resignation on 
her face.  "We've been through this before Scully.  They're 
targeting people who have been abducted, and they're not 
returning them."  He paused for effect.  "And *you've* been 
abducted.  I won't risk losing you."

She just turned her head slightly and stared at his bedside lamp, 
her lower lip caught between her teeth as she tried not to cry.

Jesus, he felt helpless.

He watched her as she carefully removed her cross necklace, then 
as she reached up to put it on him.  When she was done, she spent 
a few seconds arranging it over his collar.

"I believe it's kept you safe before.  I have to hope it will 
again," she explained huskily.

His fingers came up to toy with the cross.  He was unbearably 
touched by her actions.

Then she placed a hand on the back of his neck and pulled him to 
her so she could brush her lips across his softly.  He let her 
take the lead on the kiss, and groaned when she began to nibble 
on his lower lip.

There was desperation in her actions.  He recognized it because 
he was feeling it too.  Something was about to happen.  Something 
that might change their lives forever, and he had a terrible 
feeling it wasn't going to be a change for the better.

This woman, this breathtakingly beautiful woman in his arms 
completely owned him.  He knew with certainty, had known for 
years, that if they ever parted, she would haunt his heart 
forever.  He just wanted to drown in her, and she was kissing him 
as if she might let him.  Kisses that were tainted with the salt 
of a few stray tears she hadn't been able to keep at bay.

"Shhh, Scully," he entreated against her lips.  "When I come back 
we'll talk.  We'll make plans."

She pulled back a few inches to look at him with a serious 
expression.  "You'd better come back, Mulder," she threatened in 
a watery tone.

"I will.  And I need you to take care of yourself while I'm 
gone," he countered.

That earned him a soft smile.  "I will."

They continued searching each other's eyes for a few moments, 
silently communicating unspoken promises and an enduring bond in 
the method they had perfected years before.

"How much time do you have?" she finally asked.

He glanced at his watch.  "I have to leave to pick up Skinner in 
an hour."

She placed her fingertip on the cross where it rested on his 
collarbone.  Her eyes followed as she traced the chain up one 
side to where it touched his neck below his ear.  She absorbed 
the way it felt when he shivered slightly at her delicate touch.

When she returned her gaze to his, his eyes were heavy-lidded 
from desire.  "Make love to me, Mulder," she whispered.

He searched her eyes, looking for all the world like that was the 
best idea he'd heard all day.  "You deserve more than an hour, 
Scully," he whispered back.

One corner of her mouth tilted.  "I'll take what I can get."

XXXXX

He certainly wasn't going to argue.  

Here he was, kneeling on the floor by his bed, between her legs, 
still tasting her kisses on his lips.  He'd only been intimate 
with her once, weeks ago, but he could still remember the way she 
felt, the way she sounded and smelled.

It suddenly wasn't as important to catch the first flight to 
Oregon as it was to once again show this woman how he really felt 
about her.  To lose himself in her and forget this nagging sense 
of danger he felt was waiting for him in the woods outside 
Bellefleur.

She had changed clothes before she came over, and was now wearing 
jeans and presumably the same button-front blouse she had worn 
with her suit earlier.  He began to unbutton her blouse, 
memorizing every creamy white curve and plain he revealed as he 
went.  When he reached the bottom, he unbuttoned the cuffs at 
each wrist before slowly peeling it off her shoulders and down 
her arms.

God, she was exquisite.  So pale--dainty freckles on her 
shoulders and between her breasts, which were cupped lovingly in 
a plain but pretty copper-colored satin bra.  He forgot about 
time and UFO's and even the X-Files as he softly trailed the tip 
of his index finger along the edges of the cups, traversing small 
but round curves so perfect the sight of them could make a grown 
man weep.

 "You're so beautiful, Scully," he breathed, his voice an octave 
lower and sounding like it was filtered through gravel.  

He brought his eyes back to her face to find her pupils dilated 
and a healthy flush had spread across her cheeks and forehead.  
He felt a rush of heat center in his groin when he noticed her 
lips were parted and her breath was definitely unsteady.

*I do that to her,* he thought.  *And she let's me.  Wants me 
to.*

She began to remove his already-loosened tie, then proceeded to 
unbutton his shirt, pulling the tails out of his pants when 
necessary to reach those last buttons.  When she was done, she 
didn't remove it, just left it hanging open on his shoulders as 
she ran both hands up his stomach, splaying her fingers gently 
through his chest hair.

He took a moment to appreciate the way her hands felt caressing 
him.  Then he took another moment to curse the fact that they 
were limited to less than an hour for what would be only their 
second time making love.  He felt like he could continue touching 
her and feeling her touch him for days on end.  Weeks probably, 
but that wasn't in the cards today.  His only solace was that 
there would be plenty of time for more of this when he returned 
from Oregon.

He would make damned sure the trip to Oregon didn't last one 
second longer than necessary.

While he admired the femininity of the bra, he ached more to get 
at what it was hiding from him, so he reached both hands around 
her to deftly unhook it.  His gaze burned into her chest as he 
focused intently on the skin he revealed as he slowly pushed the 
straps down her arms.

Her nipples were rose-colored and erect.  He could swear they 
were pointing straight at his mouth, begging for him to lick 
them.  He traced around one with his fingertip, an unconscious 
and slightly feral smile gracing his lips as he watched that 
nipple grow even tighter in response to his teasing.

He very slowly drew the fingertips of both hands lightly down her 
breasts, around her ribcage to her back where he trailed them 
softly up to her shoulder blades.  Then he brought his mouth to 
hers, his tongue drawing hers out to play, circling and thrusting 
with the rhythm of an age-old dance.  He kissed a moist path 
across her cheek, stopping briefly to run his tongue along the 
edge of her jawline, before reaching her ear.

"Speak to me, Scully.  Tell me what you want," he demanded in a 
low rumble against her ear.  His hands soothed down her back to 
warm her when he felt her shiver and the sudden appearance of 
goosebumps.

"You, Mulder.  Just you," she whispered huskily.

He never tired of hearing her voice.  He suspected she could read 
footnotes from an article about fungus in one of her medical 
journals and he would be turned on by it.  But this...her saying 
that she wanted him, her voice laden with arousal, nearly undid 
him.  He found he wasn't immune to goosebumps either.

He inhaled her scent, here in the curve of her neck where it was 
strongest, before licking and nibbling his way down the side of 
her throat to the hollow of her shoulder.  He loved this spot.  
He could feel her pulse just beneath her skin.  He imagined it 
was beating in time with his own heart's unsteady cadence.  He 
nuzzled the tip of his large but very sensitive nose into this 
sweet spot before venturing further south.

She placed a hand on his shoulder for support when she leaned 
back a little to give him better access as he kissed a trail to 
her breast.  She actually whimpered when his mouth closed over 
the nipple, and he felt his entire body tighten in response.

Yet still, he was gentle with her.

As he laved at the nipple he had discovered, one of his hands 
lowered to wrap around her hip, thumb caressing dangerously close 
to the button-fly of her jeans.  His other hand found its way to 
the breast which had been heretofore neglected, fingertips 
lightly toying with the nipple.

When he moved his mouth to the other breast, he brought that hand 
down to grasp her hip, then he pulled her lower body to the edge 
of the bed, right up against his aching lower region.  At the 
same time, he leaned into her to encourage her to lie down on the 
bed, which she did.

He sat back on his heels to look at her, topless and supine on 
his mattress, so strong yet also so vulnerable to him right now.  
He treasured these rare moments when she let down her guard with 
him, allowed him to see that part of her that she never let 
anyone else see.  Allowed him to be the strong one for both of 
them.

He slowly ran his hands down her torso, over the hot region 
around her button-fly, down her thighs, before reversing the 
procedure to bring his hands back up to rest on the top button of 
her jeans.  Her stomach muscles convulsed underneath his hands as 
he unsnapped the first button.  The jeans were old and well-worn, 
so the remaining buttons practically slid right out of their 
holes of their own accord, with only slight encouragement from 
him.

He took a second to admire the matching copper-colored hipster 
panties she was wearing before he slipped both index fingers 
inside the elastic at her hipbones and began to tug down.  She 
obligingly lifted her hips for him as he removed underwear and 
jeans in one long motion.

And now she was completely bared before him.  Good God, he was a 
lucky bastard.

XXXXX

Scully was having a hard time keeping from squirming under his 
scrutiny.  He was up fully on his knees now, between her parted 
thighs which were still hanging over the edge of the bed.  Mulder 
was looming over her, an intense look on his face as he watched 
her like he was about to devour her.

*Hell, in this position, he literally **could** devour me*, she 
thought with a naughty thrill.

He lowered his head and began to trail his open mouth against the 
incredibly sensitive skin between her belly button and the dark 
auburn triangle below.  She couldn't help but squirm now, lower 
stomach muscles jumping to escape the exquisite torture.  She 
thought for an insane moment that she might start giggling 
hysterically if he didn't stop soon.

And then he bit her.  Right above her hairline.  Not hard, just 
enough so she could feel teeth, and her upper body popped up in 
involuntary response to the onslaught of erotic sensation.

"Mulder?" she breathed in a panic.

The smile he gave her in response reminded her of a wolf.  
Suddenly she felt like Little Red Riding Hood.  The liberated, 
independent woman in her was astonished at the feel of warm 
lubrication pooling between her legs in response to the primitive 
image.

He had gone back to kissing her stomach, trying to gentle her 
with his hands on her ribcage as she watched.  When her heart 
rate had slowed from the speed of sound to simply a high rev, she 
consciously relaxed her body and reclined back down on the 
mattress, closing her eyes to better enjoy the sensations.

Then she felt nothing.  His mouth was gone, his hands had moved 
up to brace himself on the mattress at the sides of her hips and 
now they were no longer moving.

She was about to speak when she felt it.  Moist hot air between 
her legs.  His breath.

"Oh, God," she moaned, and placed her hands on his head.  He 
hadn't placed his mouth on her, at least not yet.  Apparently he 
was just...inhaling her.  She opened her eyes and looked down her 
body at him.  His eyes were closed and his face held a look of 
reverence as he breathed in her scent.

"Next time, Scully," he began, his voice low and rough, lips 
tickling the hairs covering her mound.  "The next time we do this 
we'll take our time.  I promise."  Then he lowered his head to 
press an opened-mouthed and all-too-brief kiss against her 
center.

She just caressed his head with her hands in response.

She felt his hands slip underneath the small of her back, then 
urge her to sit up.  As she rose to a sitting position on the 
edge of the bed again, she noticed he was still wearing his 
shirt, albeit unbuttoned, and his suit pants and belt.

"Mulder, you're wearing too many clothes for this," she teased.

He flashed her a wicked smile before responding, "I'm about to 
remedy that, Scully."

He began to unbuckle his belt and open his fly as she watched.  
When he hooked his thumbs inside the elastic of his boxers and 
pulled them and his pants down enough to fully expose his member, 
she got quite an eyeful.

It was so....intimate...to look at him this way.  On his knees 
before her, his penis hard and swollen with desire for her.  She 
couldn't quite comprehend the magnitude of the thought that this 
was the same man she had fought with, laughed with, cried with, 
and saved countless times in seven years.  And now she was seeing 
him at his most basic level.  Instead of seeing him as a friend, 
a partner, a coworker, now she was seeing him as a man.  A lover.

She supposed she hadn't had quite this reaction the one other 
time they had made love because she hadn't gotten this long and 
this close-up of a look at him aroused.  Well, now she did, and 
she definitely approved of what she saw.  Smooth, symmetrical 
(which the orderly part of her brain valued and was applauding), 
and it looked so...strong.  So powerful.  Lord, but she was 
losing it to hormones.

Her thoughts must have shown on her face.  He had been watching 
her during her scrutiny, and now had one side of his mouth tilted 
up in a half-smile, almost like he was embarrassed, or like he 
wasn't sure of her reaction.

"We fit together last time," he offered.

She met his gaze and gave him a sensual smile in return as she 
replied in a throaty purr, "Mmmm.  Yes.  We most definitely did."

Now his smile covered his entire face.  After a few moments of 
staring at each other, each remembering flashes of the last time 
of them "fitting together", Scully finally wrapped her arms 
around his neck and rubbed her body up against his suggestively.

"Are we going to have this party up on the bed?" she breathed 
against his mouth as she nuzzled his nose with her own.

His mouth captured hers for a brief but thorough kiss before he 
replied, "No.  I'm going to have you right here."

Before she could form a mental picture of that, he had cupped her 
rear in his hands and pulled her off the edge of the bed, flush 
against his body to straddle his lap.  He sat back on his heels 
as she repositioned her feet flat on the carpet to help support 
her weight and give her some balance.

Then he was entering her slowly, smoothly.  His arms were 
straining at the effort of going so slowly, but neither really 
noticed.  They were too focused on the feel of a particular brand 
of Heaven felt only one other time before in either of their 
lifetimes.

Scully's back arched slightly to take him in at a more 
comfortable angle.  He breathed in heavy but controlled breaths 
and watched her face closely for signs of discomfort.  She tried 
to watch him too, but the intense pleasure/pain of his invasion 
overwhelmed her and her eyes slowly closed.

"Jesus Christ," she heard him rasp.

She opened her eyes halfway, gave him a lazy, lusty smile, and 
slurred, "Ohhhh, Mulder."

And then he hit home, filling every inch of her completely, and 
they both paused a moment to regain their equilibrium.  Then he 
rose up fully onto his knees and leaned her back against the side 
of the mattress.

"Rest your elbows on the mattress," he instructed, and she did 
so, finding that this gave her more control over her movements 
and allowed him to remove his hands from supporting her weight so 
that he could roam them over her body.

He grasped her hips and began to raise and lower her onto him as 
he slowly stroked against her in counter movements.  She was 
quickly lost in sensations for which she had no words to 
describe.  The only coherent thoughts in her head were hard, 
full, hard, mmm tickles, so long, so hard.

She knew he'd been with other women in the past, many other 
women.  Many other beautiful women who probably knew a lot about 
sex and probably taught him all of this wonderful stuff back when 
he was young.  Well, now she was reaping the benefits, and 
preferred to think of what he was doing to her, the way he could 
bring her so high so much faster than anyone else ever had, as 
natural talent coupled with mutual affection rather than a skill 
he might have honed on Phoebe or Diana.

In all honesty, she had never had sex like this.  Ever.  Not even 
with Daniel, whom she had thought she was in love with at the 
time.  This was powerful.  Magical.  Unbelievably sensual.  
Everytime he delved into her he stroked her ultra-sensitive g-
spot.  Everytime his body came into full contact with hers he 
ground against her clit.  Everytime he withdrew, well she wasn't 
sure technically what it was, but it had its own magic.  Put it 
all together, in an ever increasing and intensifying rhythm and 
she was feeling like she was having an out of body experience.

*Boy wouldn't Mulder love to hear that.  He'd probably open an X-
File on it or something,* she thought with a light head.

When she felt him lick his way from her chin down her neck and 
around to the curve between her shoulder and neck, then bite her, 
she knew it was all over for her.  A couple more seconds and she 
was having the most massive orgasm of her life.

XXXXX

Mulder loved this position.  Had fantasized about it for years.  
It was kind of like having her up against a wall, another one of 
his favorite fantasies, but slightly better because her feet 
could touch the floor so she could support herself and free up 
his hands, but their body parts still aligned perfectly.

He had actually almost come the moment he had felt himself buried 
to the hilt inside of her, nestled so snugly in her heat.  He had 
mentally recited the Pledge of Allegiance and the names of all 
the past Supreme Court Justices he could think of in an attempt 
at delaying the inevitable.

Then he had begun to move inside of her, feeling her wrapped 
around him like a hot, wet fist.  Better than that actually.  He 
decided sex with Scully was better than it had ever been with 
anyone else because this time his heart was involved.  Instead of 
fucking her, he really was making love to her.

She was moving against him, back arched against the mattress, 
leaning on her elbows which made her breasts thrust out at him 
and jiggle each time he ground against her.  It was mesmerizing.

Her eyes were closed most of the time, although occasionally she 
would raise her head to watch at him with heavy lids, but it was 
never very long before she moaned and her eyes would roll back 
into her head and her head would drop back in surrender.

Jesus Christ, she really was trying to torture him.  Maybe after 
they'd made love about four hundred times he'd be able to watch 
her writhe and listen to her moan without losing it, but now, on 
only their second go at it, he just didn't have the stamina.  He 
could already feel the familiar tingle of release gathering in 
his balls and his spine.  If she didn't come soon, it would all 
be over for him.  He could always try to finish her after, but 
what was the fun of that?  He wanted to feel her come around him.

His eyes fixated on her neck.  It was arched and bared before 
him, so he started to nibble on her chin, ran his tongue down her 
throat and to her shoulder, then gave in to the urge to bite her.  
He had always been a biter.  Guess it was the latent animal in 
him.  And her flesh was particularly delicious.

Suddenly he felt her entire body tense up.  She stopped moving 
against him and was just still for a moment as he continued to 
move against her while he sucked on her neck.  Then, just as 
unexpectedly, she was coming around him, moaning his name and 
calling out to God, just like last time.

He raised his head to watch her, captivated by the look of 
rapture on her face, the flush that covered her entire body, the 
way her nipples suddenly became hard as rocks during her climax.  
Then he closed his eyes as he focused on the sensations of her 
body pulsing around him, squeezing him, trying to draw him out.

He had a sudden picture of her tomorrow, at work, walking around 
all day with his seed still living inside her, and he was 
overcome with a sense of possession of her.  She would be his, at 
least for 24-48 hours while his sperm lived.  It didn't matter to 
him that she had no egg to fertilize.  He knew it was 
chauvinistic and it made him sound like a pig but it didn't stop 
him from responding to the image of her carrying around a piece 
of him alive inside her.  

So he let go.  He poured himself into her, straining with the 
effort to bury himself as deeply inside her as possible.  He 
didn't hear his hoarse shouts of release, didn't even realize he 
had voiced his love for her out loud.  All he knew was that for 
now, and for the next couple of days, she was his.  She would 
carry proof.  And that's all he needed to know.

XXXXX

Afterward, Scully came up off her elbows and wrapped her body 
completely around Mulder's still mostly-dressed form.  She was 
trembling and cooling off rather rapidly, but those facts barely 
even registered.

She was still hearing his hoarse, "Love you," that he had groaned 
against her chest during his release.

She knew better than to hold anyone responsible for words uttered 
during sex, much less during orgasm, but that didn't stop her 
heart from skipping a little at the idea that he might have 
really meant it.

After all, he had told her the other day on the stairwell that he 
had meant it when he said he loved her in that hospital years 
ago.  But that could have been the love you have for a close 
friend.  He might not have meant that he was *in* love with her.

This second guessing was silly, actually.  She knew he loved her.  
Was ninety nine percent certain he was *in* love with her, the 
other one percent was convinced that if he wasn't, he soon would 
be.

They had plenty of time after his trip to Oregon to let this 
relationship evolve naturally, let the I love you's just happen.  
She wasn't going to worry about it.

For now it was enough that he just made love to her for the 
second time, and once again, it was the most incredible sexual 
experience of her entire life.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


Several Months Later


Scully had had plenty of time to reminisce on the stolen moments 
that had been the beginnings of their budding relationship.  
Since they had last made love for only the second time months 
ago, Mulder had disappeared, presumably abducted to an alien 
space ship, she had found out she was pregnant, Mulder had been 
returned--dead--and she had buried him, mourned him, tried to go 
on without him.  Then they had effectively resurrected him.

Since they had brought him back and his health had miraculously 
returned, they had spent a lot of time together, but their 
relationship was basically as platonic as it was before they had 
become involved.  Actually, they were slightly more distant than 
before.

But not for lack of trying on her part.  She had thought her 
world was coming to an end when she had buried him.  She imagined 
that her heart had stopped beating when his had.  When they dug 
him up and they had found he was alive, she was so overcome with 
gratitude and joy that it was all she could do not to become a 
blubbering idiot right there at his bedside in the hospital.  
During the days when he was recovering, she was right there by 
his side, helping him, touching him, silently loving him.  She 
had even tried to talk to him about it, reestablish the bond they 
had forged just before he had been abducted, but he was strangely 
cold with her.  It broke her heart all over again, but she tried 
her best to understand that he had been tortured literally to 
death and surely had some major psychological issues to deal with 
before they could even approach the subject of their 
relationship, much less discuss the possible origins of the tiny 
little being growing inside of her.

Their baby.  That was an issue they had danced around like the 
pros that they were.  He had congratulated her on *her* pregnancy 
and offered to accompany her to childbirth classes, much in the 
same way a best girl friend might have.  He hadn't asked who the 
father was, and she had been so terrified that the baby might not 
even be fully human that she didn't broach the subject either.  
She lived in constant fear for the lives of everyone around her, 
including those of herself and her unborn child.

Indeed, in the last few months she had been through the most 
painful emotional wringer.  But somehow, by some miracle, here 
they were.  The three of them.  Mulder, herself, and between them 
their newborn son, William.  They were at least temporarily safe, 
all of them alive, and for that she was so thankful that she 
could barely speak for the emotions clogging her throat.

As she watched Mulder holding their son, for she was convinced 
that he was theirs even though they hadn't performed a paternity 
test yet, she searched Mulder's eyes for a connection.  For the 
truth.

He didn't disappoint.

He held their son so gently, smiled at him like an angel, with 
awe and wonder on his face.  She was unable to hold back the 
tears that sprang to her eyes, although she valiantly fought to 
keep them from running down her face.

He finally seemed open, if only for a moment, so that she could 
voice the fears she had harbored for months.  Then he focused on 
her, spoke of possibilities, and then for the first time since 
his abduction, he kissed her and it was like coming home.

XXXXX

He lost himself in the taste of her, in her familiar and long-
denied smell.  He told her silently with his kiss that even 
though everything had changed, really nothing had.  Not for them 
anyway.  When he broke the kiss and pulled back a few inches she 
used the end of her sleeve to wipe the stains of tears that had 
broken through to trail down her face.  She had missed a streak 
and he tenderly wiped it away with his thumb, then glanced down 
again at the baby that was now asleep cradled in his arm.  So 
tiny.  So perfect.  So...human.

"He's mine, Scully," Mulder whispered as he returned his gaze to 
hers.  "You and I ... we made a baby together."

Then his expression turned to one of regret.  "I'm so sorry I 
wasn't there for you."

She was too, he knew, but she tried not to let it show on her 
face.  Instead, she reached up to cradle the side of his face in 
her palm, silently communicating her understanding.

"I know I'm no prize...," he stated with a self-mocking half 
smile, "but if the two of you will have me, I want to be here.  I 
want to be a part of your lives."

She smiled slightly and nodded.  He could almost see the wheels 
turning as she ran that statement over in her head.  All that it 
could imply.  And all that it didn't promise.  He felt a pang of 
remorse that he had never given this woman the security she so 
deserved.  Couldn't even give her the words properly.

"Let me rephrase that, Scully.  I want to be a *permanent* part 
of your lives."  The word permanent still wasn't enough, but they 
both knew that words weren't really what they relied on in their 
relationship.  He saw acknowledgement on her face, that she 
understood and accepted what he was offering, which was 
everything he was, everything he had in him.

She didn't say a word as she carefully took William from him and 
laid their son gently in his bassinet by her bed.  She took a 
moment to tuck the receiving blanket around him and smooth her 
hand slowly across the top of his tiny head.

When she turned back to face him, the was so much love emanating 
from her that he could have sworn she literally was glowing.  She 
was so beautiful it took his breath away.

Her eyes never wavered from his as she slowly took the four steps 
that separated them, until she was right in front of him, inches 
separating them.  She reached a hand out to hold one of his.  At 
that moment he saw everything he had ever wanted in her eyes.  He 
saw their future together, and it called to him like a siren.

"Then stay, Mulder.  Just...stay with us," she said in a soft but 
matter-of-fact voice.

And it was the easiest thing in the world to do just that.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


The End -- The Easiest Thing in the World