Ice Princess

Mulder pulled his jacket closer to his chest as he paced back and forth nervously across the alley. hethought to himself. It was starting to snow again and the wind blew mercilessly across his face.

He could tell someone was coming around the corner by the crunching sound made by footsteps in the snow. An older man wearing a gray trench coat soon appeared and their eyes met.

"Mr. Mulder?" he asked.

"It's about time you got here!" Mulder shivered as he scolded the man. "Any longer and you would have found Frosty the Snow Man instead."

The man did not seem amused at Mulder's attempt at humor. "You need to listen carefully- I don't have much time." Mulder rubbed his gloved hands together and listened to the man. "There's another of the alien ships out there. This one is outside Alaska. They use a cruise ship to get to it. The name of the ship is the Ice Princess."

"Is the alien ship under water? How do they get to it?" Mulder asked.

I'm sorry Mulder, I have to go now..." he called to Mulder as he ran back in the direction he came from.

Mulder called out after him, "Wait! How do I get a hold of you?" Mulder ran after him. As he turned the corner, a dog exploring the contents of a trash can barked at him.

"Nice doggy," Mulder told the growling dog. Not seeing any trace of the man, Mulder decided he had had enough of the cold and the growling dog. As he walked to his car he wondered how Scully would feel about taking a cruise with him.

FBI Building
10:16AM next day

"Mulder you're late. Is anything wrong?"

Mulder smiled at Scully and held up two tickets at her. "You're going to like this assignment Scully."

"Mulder, you always say that right before you take me to some God-forsaken place in the middle of nowhere, often in the middle of the night."

"How does an 8-day Alaskan cruise sound to you, Scully?"

Scully formed a skeptical smirk on her face. "Mul-der, what is it this time- a tiny fishing boat in the middle of a storm, in winter?"

"No Scully, a real cruise ship- look at our itinerary circled in the brochure." Scully impatiently snapped the brochure out of his hand. "And besides, even though it's freezing cold outside still, it's almost spring."

After glancing at the brochure, Scully's tone softened. "This is a real cruise ship. Why are they going to let *us* go?"

Mulder told her how he had convinced the AD that they were going to chase down a money launderer. Kersch was so pleased that the case was "normal" that he approved it without any questions.

Scully frowned at Mulder. "Mulder, I know that isn't the truth- a money launderer?" she said incredulously.

"Don't worry about it, Scully. There's a legitimate reason why we're going on a cruise aboard the Ice Princess."

"The Ice Princess, Mulder?" She looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"Our plane to Vancouver leaves at 6:30 tomorrow morning out of Dulles. Make sure to pack some nice clothes for the dinners."

Somewhere over Canada
10:36AM

Scully sighed as she looked outside the airplane window. She didn't have a very good view because they got seats over the wing again. Although she found the glistening snow below beautiful, she was tired of winter and was looking forward to warmer weather.

She turned to look over at her partner. He was engrossed with a magazine. She noticed that he was wearing his glasses. He didn't wear them very often unless he didn't get much sleep the night before. Mulder claimed lack of sleep adversely affected his vision. Scully took in a slow, deep breath. He is so cute with his glasses on, she thought. She continued to watch him. She couldn't help thinking how good he looked in casual clothes. Maybe it was because she was used to seeing him in his standard FBI garb. Scully's mind began to wander. Too bad it wasn't a Caribbean cruise instead. It would have been much more fun to watch him sunbathe... Knock it off Scully! Scully often thought of Mulder in less than professional ways. She couldn't help it. He was an attractive man and they often had to work closely together. She reprimanded herself whenever it happened, and tried to push the forbidden thoughts out of her mind. Still, Scully continued to look over at Mulder. He started to feel her watching him. He looked over at her.

"Mulder, I can't believe we're going on a cruise. I'm actually looking forward to this assignment." What Scully really meant was that she was looking forward to having a good time with him.

Mulder smiled. He was looking forward to having a good time with her as well. "Ah, Scully- another rare moment when we're in complete agreement."

The Ice Princess
Vancouver, Canada
Day 1
6:35PM

"Mulder, where are our rooms?"

"Uh, Scully, there's something I have to tell you."

"I knew it- here it comes. Let me guess, Mulder, we aren't in first class," she teased him.

"We're sharing a room and it's a bit small. Estelle in travel said it was the only one left." This didn't seem to make sense to Scully, since there weren't that many people boarding the ship. They must be in their rooms already, she speculated.

Scully sighed. Had it been any other man who had done this, she would have suspected he had done this on purpose to throw them together into compromising circumstances. But with Mulder, no such luck.

When they arrived at the room, Scully noticed the "honeymoon suite" sign hung on the door. She glanced at Mulder with an annoyed look. "What?" Mulder responded. "It was the only thing left I told you," Mulder whispered. Scully smirked at Mulder as he walked into the room.

she thought. She stopped at the entrance with her arms crossed and wouldn't go in. Mulder looked over at her, puzzled.

"Aren't you going to carry me over the threshold, *dear*?" she asked. Mulder smiled and picked her up playfully.

he thought.

Scully's smile turned into a slight frown. "This room has a very tiny bathroom. There isn't any room to change in there."

"Scully, I don't mind changing out here as long as you promise to turn your head." Mulder responded with an exaggerated, almost feminine-sounding modesty.

"What is this anyway, the economy honeymoon suite?"

"Scully, I don't think a couple on their honeymoon are going to be concerned much about changing in front of each other."

"Oh, I suppose we should get used to this since we're going to be here for 8 days," Scully replied. "We can be professional about this." Their Arcadia assignment had thrown them together in the same house, but this one threw them together in the same bed. Although Mulder had invited her to jump into bed with him in Arcadia, Scully knew he wasn't serious. However, this time she couldn't banish him to the couch; they didn't have one in this tiny room.

"We *do* have to act the part out there, Scully, but in here- we're just two agents sharing a room."

Scully looked over at Mulder and didn't respond. She wondered just how much "acting the part" Mulder had in mind. Scully, stop getting your hopes up! "What names are we using this time, Mulder?"

"Estelle registered us under Fox and Dana Smith."

"How original. Oh, well- I guess it's better than Rob and Laura Petrie," Scully commented.

It wasn't long before the ship set sail. Mulder and Scully watched the ship cut through the dark blue water from the deck. Like her father, Scully loved the sea. She placed both hands on the rails and took in a deep breath of the cold, salty air. More from the excitement she felt than from the cold, Scully shivered noticeably. Since he wasn't wearing a jacket that he could give her, Mulder placed his arm around her to keep her warm. Scully looked over at him. He must be trying to act the part of being newlywed, she determmined.

"Want to go back to the room, Scully?" Feeling quite comfortable with his arm around her, Scully shook her head no and smiled at Mulder.

Mulder thought.

Some time passed and the shore could no longer be seen from the deck of the ship. Mulder took Scully's hand and walked her back towards their room.

"We could probably get something for supper if you're hungry, Scully."

Scully thought for a moment. She whispered to him, "I think we should call each other by our first names out here."

"That's right, *Dana*. This is going to take getting used to."

"Tell me about it, *Fox*."

He winced when he heard her say his first name. "I think it will be harder for me to listen to you call me Fox than it will be for me to call you Dana. Let's go change for dinner."

Back in the room, they changed quickly into their clothes for dinner, trying hard not to let the other person catch them watching each other in the process. Although they had agreed not to look when they were changing, neither one of them could resist a small peek. Scully quickly figured out that she could briefly watch Mulder in the mirror without him noticing. To watch her, Mulder put his head down and looked quickly between his arm and chest so that she didn't make eye contact with him.

After they finished getting dressed, Mulder watched her intently as she put on her makeup and brushed her hair. I love the way the light reflects off her hair in all those different shades of red, Mulder thought. When she finished, she sat next to him on the bed. "Before we go Scully, there's something I have to ask you. "

"What is it, Mulder?"

"Are you sure you're comfortable with this assignment, Scully?"

"Sure, why wouldn't I be?"

"We need to act like newlyweds, Scully. This isn't like Arcadia. We have to, well, you know, hang all over each other like a couple of teenagers O.D.'ing on their own hormones."

Scully began a smile. "I'm sure we can handle it Mulder. We're both professionals."

Mulder grinned. "By all means then, let's get out there, Scully."

*****************************
<

Mulder and Scully ate their food quietly while they listened to the conversation of the other couples at their table. One couple, Marge and Tom Peterson, were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. Another couple, Jane and Ed Plain, were newlyweds. Marge turned to Scully and Mulder. "You two must be newlyweds too, I can tell how much you love each other by the way you look at each other."

"Is it that obvious?" Mulder asked looking over at Scully. He purposely didn't try to change the way he looked at her and she looked back at him the way she always did.

"I can tell. I can always tell- I've never been wrong!" Mulder and Scully smiled a bit uncomfortably at this as they squeezed each others' hands.

Scully looked over at the dance floor. Mulder stood up next to her and took her hand. Scully smiled. She hadn't been dancing in a long time.

As he walked her over to the dance floor, Mulder was overwhelmed with her presence. It was as if they were walking in slow motion. The black velvet dress she wore accentuated her finest features as she took each step. Mulder noticed the way the ballroom chandelier lit up the highlights in her hair as she brushed it away from her face. Others watched the striking couple walk out to the dance floor. When Mulder noticed this, it made him feel good about having people think she was actually his new bride.

Taking advantage of the fact that they were supposed to be newlyweds, Mulder pulled her very close to him as they reached the dance floor. This surprised Scully and she took a short, deep breath. Mulder thought this was a sign she was uncomfortable and backed away a bit. Scully knew he interpreted her reaction the wrong way and quickly pulled him back towards her.

Scully felt warm and secure in Mulder's arms as they moved together slowly to the music. The deep breath she had taken was caused by the sense of excitement she felt when he held her so close. Although they had hugged each other many times, this was much, much different. It had been a long time since she had been held like this, by anyone. She regretted that Mulder had interpreted it as a sign that she wasn't comfortable.

Mulder savored the experience of being so close to Scully. As they danced, his senses took in every aspect of the woman. He inhaled her scent, felt the warmth of her body pressed up against his, listened to the sound of her voice. He drew away from her to look into her eyes. The only thing left to completely fill up all my senses with Scully, is to taste her. He wanted to pull her towards him and kiss her- she was his new bride after all. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to do it. Yet, he felt himself becoming excited at the thought. He stepped back and loosened his tie. "Scully, it's a bit warm in here. Let's go outside for a while."

Scully felt quite warm herself. "OK."

Mulder took her hand and led her to the deck outside the dining area. They both sensed they were being watched so they continued to hold hands.

Suddenly Mulder was back in time when he was a teenager attempting his first kiss. What's wrong with me? Why can't I just do this? Mulder turned and whispered to Scully. "I don't know how to say this... This is a bit awkward for me. I guess I need some practice... acting married."

Scully was a bit amused but didn't want to make Mulder feel any more uncomfortable. She knew what they had to do. She needed to bring him back in time to the point they were at a few months ago, that day in the hallway, seconds before the bee stung her. He had almost kissed her. Once again she made the first move. She gently brought his head down to place a kiss softly on his forehead. She looked up into his eyes and smiled. That smile was all it took for Mulder. Mulder moved his lips closer to hers and Scully moved up to meet him. This time there was no interruption. It was a long, passionate, yet gentle kiss. When it ended, Mulder looked into Scully's eyes.

He tasted her finally, but it left him very vulnerable. He remembered that day in the hallway. The bee sting caused her to recoil from his attempt at kissing her. His initial reaction was that he had been out of line. Although when he apologized, Scully had told him that she had been stung, he was left to wonder what would have happened. Would she have pushed me away? They never talked about what had happened so this feeling of possible rejection had eaten away at him ever since.

He needed some reassurance that Scully had enjoyed the kiss, not just gone through the motions with him. However, the kiss had overloaded his senses. Had his senses continued processing normally, there would have been no doubt in his mind that she enjoyed the kiss just as much as he did.

Scully looked into Mulder's eyes. It had been all she imagined it would be. She took short, deep, audible breaths and she could feel her heart beat rapidly.

Mulder finally spoke. "How did I do Dana? Was that convincing?"

Scully couldn't speak. Her breathlessness would have given her true feelings away. She simply nodded her approval. Not stopping to think about it, she reached up to grab the back of Mulder's neck to pull his lips back down to hers, and Mulder had his answer. He perceived her longing as a basic human need. He kept her away from other men and she was never able to satisfy her physical needs.

As Scully and Mulder continued to kiss, Scully noted signs of Mulder's physical excitement. I have finally unleashed his suppressed physical longing. It probably has nothing to do with me- I'm just a woman and he's just a man. This thought disappointed Scully a bit but didn't prevent her from enjoying the moment.

They separated and held each other close as they had many times before. Mulder smiled at Scully and walked her back to the room, this time with his arm around her.

When they reached their room, they found a bottle of champagne waiting for them. Mulder lift the bottle and read the attached card. " 'For the newlyweds.'" He looked over at Scully. Neither one of them smiled. They were back in their rooms and the agreement was that they were back to being Scully and Mulder now- "professional." Both had the feeling the intimacy had abruptly stopped. Mulder put the champagne back into the ice.

They were both tired from their journey. They both looked over at the bed. There were two white robes laid out for them with a card reading 'For the newlyweds' on them. Scully picked hers up and held it against her face. "This is so soft- feel it, Mulder."

Mulder picked his up and squeezed it lightly. "They're nice ones."

Scully hung up the robes. Mulder began to undress down to his boxers, in a cold, professional manner. Scully turned away. She also undressed quickly, putting her nightgown on. Although she had turned away, she caught Mulder watching her when she looked in the mirror. This troubled her, since she believed that Mulder was, after all, a normal man, and being this close after being intimate outside was going to be hard for him. Poor choice of words, Scully! she thought to herself.

Mulder knew he had violated their agreement by watching Scully undress. Although their eyes had met, she couldn't protest because she had been watching him.

He wanted her so much, yet he knew she was out of his league.

The thought crossed his mind that he could probably take advantage of the fact that she had unsatisfied, strong physical needs. He quickly put that out of his mind. I could never do that. I have too much respect for her. Mulder placed Scully high on a pedestal. When he watched his tapes, he imagined himself with Scully. But this was the fantasy Scully that lived in his mind, not the real Scully in the room with him. The fantasy Scully was wildly in love with him and did anything he wanted to please him sexually. The real Scully was a brilliant scientist, and above all a professional. He had the utmost respect for her and he considered himself lucky that she even gave him the time of day, let alone continue as his partner.

Scully slid into bed next to Mulder. "Good night, Mulder."

"Good night, Scully."

Mulder tried to resolve the conflict in his mind. The "real Scully" he thought he knew so well had normal sexual needs, something he had never considered. What was even more confusing to him was the way she had responded to his advances out on the deck, just minutes ago. Even though he could see how she could have physical needs, he couldn't believe that she could actually be attracted to him. She must not realize how attractive she is. She could have anyone she wanted.

"Scully? Are you ok with what we have to do out there?"

"It's part of the job Mulder, right?"

Mulder was a bit saddened by her response and didn't answer.

After thinking it over, it didn't really matter to him. He had tasted her tonight. The only problem was he wanted more. Scully was an addiction for him. He knew that first kiss would do this to him. Mulder let out a deep sigh.

"Mulder? Are *you* ok with this?"

He wanted to tell her and yet it wasn't easy. "Scully, to tell you the truth, well... I guess it's obvious to you that I really enjoyed it."

"Mulder..."

Before she continued, Mulder interrupted her. "Scully, it's ok. I have too much respect for you. I wouldn't threaten our relationship- it means too much to me. You don't have to worry that I'd try anything more."

Scully was going to tell him she enjoyed it too. Now she couldn't. Or could she? "Mulder, that's never been my concern. I'm human myself."

"I know that Scully. My work selfishly prevents you from having a normal 'social' life. I feel bad enough about it and I won't take advantage of it."

"Mulder, it's not that way at all. It's my work too! I choose to be with you. You don't force me to be."

Mulder smiled. "Scully, I just had this weird thought that we're living out all those priest and nun sharing the same room jokes right now.

"Mulder, I'm trying to be serious about this!"

"I know Scully. I guess we're treading on some dangerous ground right now and my defenses are coming up."

Scully sighed. It was no use. He was building the wall back up again faster than she was trying to tear it down. At least he recognized it this time. Maybe it's for the best. I don't know if I could handle it either. Scully avoided thinking about the subject herself. Once again, she consciously pushed it out of her mind. Don't go there Scully, you'll only get hurt.

They were both silent and eventually Scully fell asleep. Mulder lay awake watching her longingly.

Why did I push her away? Why did it scare me so much? Maybe I'm afraid that she'll be in more danger if we get any closer. Or maybe I prefer to think that someday I still have a chance of being something more to her than this; rather than know the truth about how she feels about me, possibly removing all hope.

Day 2

Scully woke up and took her shower while Mulder slept. The bed must be more comfortable than his couch, she thought.

He woke up while she was getting dressed and secretly watched as she put her clothes on. Once again Scully caught him watching her. This time she purposely put on a show for him. Her movements were slow and seductive. Mulder watched her every move, entranced. Suddenly she turned around to catch him in the act.

"Mulder, you're awake," she said nonchalantly. She continued the show.

Mulder turned away. Two can play at this. He got up and slowly stripped off his boxers to get into the shower.

Scully took in a long audible breath as she caught his form in the mirror. Mulder knew she would.

Mulder got out of the shower and got dressed. Scully looked at him straight in the eyes as he did this and started asking him when he was going to get around to telling her what the real work they were supposed to do here was.

Although a bit amused that she could discuss the subject with him naked as he was, Mulder explained how he was approached that night in the snow. "I guess I'm waiting for when this thing comes to a stop. That's when it's going to happen."

"That might not be for a while Mulder."

"In the mean time we look for anything suspicious."

They spent a good part of the day on the deck watching the waves hit the side of the boat. It was cold, but neither of them minded.

Mulder decided it was time to make another move. Scully welcomed it. He took her hands and ever so slowly drew her near to him. As they inched towards each other the anticipation heightened. Mulder and Scully forgot about their concerns and took advantage of the situation.

Mulder could feel himself responding to her touch. Scully wanted to pull him more tightly against her but resisted in order to prolong the feeling. They were both experiencing sensations they hadn't felt in a long time, if ever.

Instead of kissing her, Mulder stopped abruptly just short of her lips and shifted down to the side of her neck, pressing his soft moist lips gently against her skin. Scully gasped. She responded by moving her hands underneath Mulder's shirt and running her fingernails lightly down his back. Mulder took a deep breath and moved over to kiss her. Caught in the moment, both of them lost all sensation of place and time.

"Don't you two have a room?"

Mulder pulled away from Scully in surprise, almost as if awakened from a dream. Jane and Ed, the couple they had met at dinner, stood behind them.

Ed continued, "There're certainly enough available."

Surprised, Scully questioned him further. "What do you mean?"

"This ship must've sailed with at least an 80% vacancy!" Jane answered.

Mulder sensed Scully's anger, although she wasn't showing it. "Well, I guess it's time we headed back to our room," Mulder stated as he led Scully back.

Once inside, both of them were silent.

Finally, Scully spoke. "Mulder, I don't understand why you did this."

"Scully, I was told it was the only room available. I'm sorry."

Scully looked into his eyes. He looked sincere, but it didn't make sense. Not only did he tell her that this was the only room left, but it was also the honeymoon suite. How could this have happened? she wondered. They undressed and got into bed, in a "professional" manner, purposely avoiding any eye contact this time.

"Good night," Scully broke the silence. The truth is I almost wish he did plan this. Scully was confused by her thoughts. She was upset at him, yet she was enjoying their recent intimacy.

"You know something, Scully, it could've been Estelle in travel. She is always trying to play matchmaker. Maybe she lied to me about this."

Suddenly, it all made perfect sense to Scully. Estelle had made a comment a week ago about how Scully refused to see how much Mulder had a thing for her.

"Mulder, I am so sorry. You're right- it must have been Estelle."

"Forget about it and let's get some sleep," Mulder responded in his usual expressionless way. Scully soon drifted off to sleep while Mulder wondered about the mission they were on. When are we going to get some sign of contact with the alien ship?

Day 3 Ketchikan

Mulder and Scully went ashore when the Ice Princess docked at the town of Ketchikan to do some sightseeing and shopping. The two of them realized they had a rare opportunity to enjoy themselves.

Mulder put on a totem pole mask and jumped in front of Scully saying, "Ugga bugga!" Scully was actually startled at first, then lightly hit his arm to get back at him.

They ate lunch in a small café and walked back to the ship before it set sail again. "Are you having fun, Dana?" Mulder remembered to use her first name out in public.

"This is great, Fox. I think we both needed this." He kissed her gently, wishing they could be like this all the time, even if they were just pretending to be married.

Day 4
Juneau

The ship docked in Juneau mid morning. Mulder and Scully had decided to go on a guided walk. They put on their heavy clothing and met the rest of the group at the front of one of the small shops. They were bused to the side of a mountain and spent the morning hiking on a serene, peaceful mountain trail.

After the first hour, light snow began to fall. Scully looked over at Mulder. Snowflakes began to cover his eyebrows. Lately, just about anything would make Mulder look more attractive to her. She thought about how much closer they had grown over the course of the trip. Once again, she stopped herself and pushed these forbidden thoughts out of her mind. She knew how that sort of thinking would lead to thinking about how strong her feelings for him were. Next would come the hurt from thinking he didn't return those feelings. It was ultimately a conscious, self-protective suppression process and she recognized it as such.

Mulder looked over at Scully. She was wearing a white parka. It reminded him of the one she wore the first year they worked together when they went to the Arctic. She was breathtaking. He remembered how much he wanted her then. No matter how strong he perceived it to be back then, it was nothing compared to how strong the feeling was right at this moment.

They finished their hike to the top of the small mountain and stopped to admire the spectacular view. Mulder put his arm around Scully. "Dana, I feel so lucky to be sharing this with you right now."

She smiled at him and took in a deep breath of the cold, fresh air. "There's nowhere else on Earth I would rather be right now, than here with you, Fox." Although both of them were sincere, both of them believed the other was just "acting the part of being newlywed."

Upon returning to the ship, they found themselves exhausted and decided to skip dinner and have a light snack delivered to their room. As they ate their sandwiches, they discussed the possibility of being led astray about the alien ship. "Actually Scully, we're getting close to the glaciers. If the ships need to be kept cold, it's more likely that they're there."

Scully, the eternal skeptic, simply gave Mulder her usual smirk. "Mulder, where's the brochure you had?"

"It's in the top drawer over by my side of the bed."

Scully pulled it out and began reading it. "Our cruise dates aren't even listed here. In fact, these cruises aren't even supposed to start until May!"

"I noticed that when I had Estelle book the cruise but I figured it was an old brochure."

Scully didn't think much more about it and started to prepare for bed. After that first initial "show" they put on for each other, they dressed in front of one another and didn't look away. Ironically, they were acting as if they had been married for many years. In a sense, they had been "married" to each other; they spent all their time together, they didn't see anyone else and they loved each other, even though they hadn't admitted what their true feelings were to each other.

Day 5
Skagway

"Fox, this panning for gold is so phony!" The Ice Princess had dropped them off at Skagway, a former gold mining town.

"Watch it, Dana! The microphone may be on and the next thing you know, the whole world will no longer think you're America's sweetheart! There's that smirk again! I'm telling you- it happened to Nancy Kerrigan!"

Scully was mildly amused at Mulder's feeble attempts at humor while she continued to "pan for gold."

Finally Mulder found a small nugget and held it up. "Dana, did you by any chance lose part of a filling?"

This time he got a small chuckle out of her. "There's only one thing I love more than your smile, and that's when I can actually get you to laugh."

"Fox..."

"Yes, my gorgeous wife?"

"I love you."

Mulder's expression changed rapidly. Though it was only out of shock at hearing her say these words, Scully's smile rapidly turned to an expression of fear. Although they were supposed to be acting, she really meant it. She blurted it out without thinking. Maybe subconsciously she meant it as a test of Mulder's reaction. She could feel her heart pounding furiously. Although less than a second or two passed, it seemed like an eternity. She watched Mulder's face for some sort of sign- acceptance, repulsion, something....

"I love you too, Dana." It was easier for him to say. He had said it before but she thought he was delirious at the time, although he had really meant it then too. He watched her face. It was a safe thing for him to say. He was responding to her, and after all, she was just acting the part....

That night Mulder couldn't sleep. Scully's words had a powerful effect on him. He wanted, and needed, for her to mean what she said. He knew she loved him, but what type of love did they share? Was it something brothers and sisters would share? Or is it something lovers shared? Mulder re-ran every single kiss they had shared in his mind. He remembered every one of them. The brother-sister love theory was out. But lovers? He was more confused than he had ever been. Why can't I accept the possibility?

Scully had fallen asleep hours ago. She was in the middle of a pleasant dream. Dressed in a flowing white gown, she walked barefoot across a meadow of multicolored flowers. Suddenly she spotted Mulder. He stretched his arms out to motion her towards him. "Scully!" he called. "Mulder!" she responded. She was talking in her sleep and Mulder listened to her, amused. The "dream" Mulder kissed her passionately, and pulled her down to the ground to make love to her.

The "real" Mulder watched the expressions on her face. She moaned softly. Must be a really good dream. Wish I was really in it. Mulder could feel his excitement growing as she continued to moan and passionately call his name. Oh man! I can't believe this is happening.

"I love you so much, Mulder!" Scully called out. She woke herself up with the sound of her voice to see that Mulder was watching her. "Mulder, was I talking in my sleep?"

'Not only that, there was a lot of passionate moaning there too."

She was quite embarrassed and pulled the sheets up to her neck. "It was a good dream."

"Care to share it with me?"

She smiled at the thought. I would rather share the actual activity with you, than just the recite the details. Stop that Scully!

"We better get some rest Mulder. Tomorrow we see the glaciers!"

Mulder was a bit disappointed but tried not to show it. "Right Scully. Goodnight." He deviated from their "professional conduct in the room rule" and kissed her lovingly on the cheek.

Scully didn't seem to mind since she rolled over and was back to sleep in a few minutes. Mulder on the other hand, lay awake wondering if they would ever see a sign of the alien ship.

Suddenly the ship grew oddly quiet. The engine had stopped. "Scully! Scully, wake up!"

"What is it, Mulder?"

Mulder put on his white robe and threw hers to her. He pulled her to the door. "Let's go!"

The cold air on the deck quickly woke her. "Mulder, it's the middle of the night. What're we doing out here?" She whispered.

"Scully, he whispered, "we have to act normal."

"Mulder, we're in our bathrobes. Is that normal?"

"Do you notice anything unusual, Scully? Listen!"

Scully noticed the unusual quiet. "We're not moving!"

"That's right. We've stopped, and I don't think it's because we've hit an iceberg. Try to act as if we're out for a midnight stroll in the moonlight."

He walked her over to the deck they frequented. They held hands as they looked into the water. No sign of any activity. "Let's walk to the other side." They walked casually over to the other side. Still no sign of anything unusual.

"Mulder, what if we're on top of it?" Mulder stared back in silence. The initial response he thought of was of a sexual nature. He couldn't help it. She was so beautiful in the moonlight. He wanted to...

By the way he was looking at her, Scully suspected Mulder wasn't thinking about the alien ship when she asked that question. Scully pulled him forward to get him moving again.

They walked quickly down the service stairway. "Scully, If they question us we're just trying to find some unusual place to have sex."

Scully sighed. If only that were true. "Right, but this time we'll tell them our names are Rose and Jack."

They heard a loud sound as they turned the corner. Mulder protectively pulled her behind him. He hoped she wouldn't mind. He knew how she hated being protected. However, if he had his way, she wouldn't even be with him.

He really didn't have a choice though. She had saved his life just as many times as he saved hers and both of them would have been dead if it weren't for being together.

"Mulder, what was it?" Mulder placed his finger to his lips to motion her to be quiet. He slowly looked around the corner. A man was handing cardboard boxes down a trap door.

"Scully, it looks like they're handing down supplies of some sort."

Scully took a turn to watch what was going on. The man stopped, closed the door and closed the hatch. He walked out of the room. "Mulder, he closed the hatch and left. There're still more boxes up against the wall." Mulder and Scully slowly walked out to the boxes, hiding behind a stack of them so they wouldn't be seen.

Mulder carefully opened the cover of one of the boxes and took two of the many vials. He recognized them immediately. "Scully, it's the vaccine! This doesn't make sense. Why would they want the vaccine on the alien ship?" Scully didn't answer. He rearranged the rest so no one would notice. "Let's wait around the corner until he comes back."

They retreated just in time to see the man return. This time they got a better look at his face. It was Ed, one of the men they had met the first night at dinner. Scully and Mulder looked at each other in surprise. Ironically they weren't the only couple pretending to be on their honeymoon.

Ed finished loading the boxes, shut the hatch again and left. There were some loud clanking noises and the ship engine revved up once again.

Mulder returned Scully to their room and told her he would be right back. Scully questioned him when he returned. "What just happened down there Mulder?"

Mulder was busy writing down the GPS receiver reading. "I don't know. I do know that we're going to have to become more friendly with Ed."

Scully took her robe off and got back into bed. She sighed and went to sleep. Mulder was worried. If they got the vaccine aboard the ship, would the same thing happen that happened to them in Antarctica? He got undressed and into bed. He forgot his nagging worries when he looked over at Scully sleeping. She is *so* beautiful. I want her *so* much.

Day 6
Hubbard Glacier

They went to breakfast. Ed and Jane came up behind them. "Hey, you two! Finally decided to come out for air, huh?" Mulder and Scully smiled at each other.

"Dana and I would love for you to join us again."

"Sure, we'll get our food and join you."

Mulder took the opportunity to pull Scully close to him and kiss her.

"You two don't ever get enough of each other, do you?" Jane said to them as they sat down with their food.

That was the truth, both of the agents thought.

"Fox and I are very busy with our work most of the time, and I guess we know how precious this time is together." Scully was baiting them.

"What do you do?" Ed asked them. He took the bait.

"Fox is a psychologist and I'm a physician." Scully wished for a moment that this was true.

"What do you two do?" Mulder asked, admiring how Scully skillfully set that up.

"I'm an accountant and Ed works in a pharmaceutical warehouse. In fact, that's how we got this cruise for our honeymoon; Ed's working on the ship."

"Oh?" Mulder asked. This was too easy.

"There're special deliveries at certain ports that we're making."

Mulder and Scully smiled at each other. Right, ports in the middle of the ocean, they noted.

Anything beyond this was not going to be volunteered. Any more prying would make Ed suspicious so they changed the subject.

"Where are you two from?" Scully inquired.

"From the Washington D.C. Area," Jane responded.

"So are we!" Mulder exclaimed.

The conversation changed rapidly from one subject to another with nothing of real interest to Mulder and Scully.

Mulder put his arm around Scully. "Let's go for a walk," he told her. "Excuse us."

This time it was too windy up on the deck and they went over to the covered deck section. They stopped to sit on the bench. No one was around so they spoke freely. "Scully, did you mean it that you don't miss having a social life?"

"Mulder, I have to be honest. I do miss it sometimes, but I made the choice to do this type of work. What about you?"

"You don't see women beating down my apartment door, do you? Who would I go out with?" I wouldn't want anyone else but you anyway, he thought. You, on the other hand, an attractive woman, have every man in the FBI interested in you."

"They are not! Name one."

"Scully, there's Mark in the records section, and Tim the new agent, and..."

"Mulder, I could say the same thing about you- you're a very attractive man and I know for a fact that women lust after you. There's Gina in analysis, Rita in the..."

"Gina? The one with the short skirts? Really?!" Scully gave Mulder an impatient look. The wall was coming up again. This time he made a conscious effort to break it down. "Trouble is, Scully, all of these people think we're both taken- by each other."

Both of them were silent as they looked at each other. Scully looked away first. She thought how it was to the point of being obvious that they both wanted each other. She reached down and instinctively found Mulder's hand. "Mulder, what if we *were* to have a physical relationship? I mean, we're both normal people with normal needs. We both find each other attractive. Our work doesn't give us much opportunity to meet anyone else. It would almost make sense."

"Almost, Scully?" This time his eyebrows were raised. Somehow he was thinking it was a line he should have used on her, not the other way around.

Scully looked anxiously at Mulder and turned away. She hadn't thought about what she said to him before she said it. Ironically, it was one of the scariest things that she had ever done in the five years they had been together. I can't believe I said that, she told herself. What must he think of me? I feel like such a fool.

Before she could think anymore about it, Mulder slowly took her face in his hands and turned it back towards him, lovingly smoothing her hair back. No words were spoken. They simply looked into each other's eyes. Mulder wanted her and she wanted him, it was simple- basic human needs. It didn't matter to either of them if the other person didn't love them; a sexual relationship was certainly better than no relationship.

Mulder took her by the hand and began walking her to their room. As they walked, Scully wondered if Mulder could tell how she really felt about him. It was so much more than just a physical longing. If he knew, would he go through with what she was proposing? Scully remembered back to when she was just a teenager. She was about to have her first sexual experience and she mistakenly told the boy she loved him. He couldn't handle it and immediately drove her home.

Mulder wondered if he was doing the right thing. How could he go through with this? It was her idea, he rationalized. Still, Mulder needed to be sure.

Once in the room, they sat next to each other on the bed. "Scully, you really did say what you said out there, didn't you? I mean, it wasn't just something I wanted to hear, was it? Or something that you said because you knew I wanted to hear it?"

"Mulder, can't you accept that I really feel that way?"

"No. Not really," he laughed softly, "After all these years, Scully, I find this very surprising. Especially that a very attractive woman like you could want someone like me." After he said that Mulder hoped she didn't think he was fishing for compliments.

"Mulder, I can't believe you have such a low opinion of yourself. Like I said before, there are a lot of women that are attracted to you..." She paused for a moment. "Like me."

That was all the reassurance he needed. He moved closer to her so he was less than inches away from her face. He whispered softly in her ear, "Then what have we been waiting for all these years?"

Scully felt that the time they had waited so long for had finally come. She felt his warm breath upon her neck and inhaled his scent.

He began to undress her slowly as she began to undress him. After all their clothes were off both of them, they lay there and allowed each other to admire each other freely, for the first time, the excitement building all the while. The moment they had waited for had arrived and they wanted it to last. There was no rush.

Scully ran her fingers along Mulder's face and lips. As they crossed Mulder's lips he gently kissed them. It was his turn. He ran his fingers from her lips slowly down to the crevice between her breasts. As he did his thumb lightly caught the bottom of her right breast. Scully gasped, her excitement rising with the sensations his touch was evoking. Scully put her hand on the inside of his left thigh. Mulder was fully aroused by now and this was almost more than he could stand. Both of them were breathing slowly and deeply. Scully's face was flushed and a drop of sweat began to form in Mulder's right temple. Mulder descended on top of Scully, kissing her tenderly and lovingly.

After years of imagining what it would be like, they finally became one with each other. Mulder contained his own pleasure until he was sure Scully was completely satisfied. His ultimate release was such that he felt no other moment in his life thus far could have come close to it. Mulder lay down next to her, emotionally and physically exhausted.

Scully laid back and closed her eyes, still breathing heavily. It's true- I feel as if I can die at this moment and my life has been complete. But I don't want to die. I have so much more to look forward to now.

They went to the dining area for lunch, but they hardly ate because they couldn't take their eyes off one another. They were both thinking the same thing. They would have preferred to stay in their rooms all day.

Mulder couldn't believe what had just happened. Instead of satisfying the desire for her that he had suppressed for so long, it had only increased it.

Scully felt insecure. It wasn't that she regretted what had happened but she wondered if it had been the right thing to do. It was inevitable. It had to happen sooner or later, she felt, given how much they were attracted to each other and the amount of time they spent together.

She worried how it might change things. It frightened her. Things are not going to be the same. That's probably one of the biggest reasons why this didn't happen a long time ago.

They left the dining area. As they walked towards the railing where Mulder first kissed her, she thought about what she was going to say. Be careful Scully! she warned herself.

Thinking someone could overhear, she continued to use his first name. "Fox, I'm worried about us."

"What's wrong Dana?"

"What are we doing?" Scully asked. Mulder didn't answer. "Even after all we've been through, I've never felt as frightened as I do now."

"Dana, I don't know what to say. I guess I don't know what you mean exactly."

Scully looked out at the dark blue water. "Fox, I am afraid of what will happen to us now that we..."

Mulder lowered his voice. "Wait, because we finally admitted to ourselves that we are attracted to each other... Dana, that's a good thing! And no one else has to know- this is between us. In fact, everyone already thinks we're having sex anyway. We don't have to change anything else if we don't want to. We can wait until we're ready."

Scully smiled faintly. Maybe he's right. Maybe we can keep this to ourselves. She took Mulder's hand. Both of their expressions became serious as they gazed into each other's eyes. Mulder pulled her closer and held her as they continued to look at each other.

Mulder kissed her slowly and deeply. He broke away just long enough to whisper in her ear, "Let's go back to the room."

Once inside the room, Scully talked more about her fears. "Mulder, there's something I need to say." Mulder said nothing but sat down besides her and put his arm around her shoulder. "Mulder, you know I can't have children."

"Scully, what does that have to do with anything?"

Scully could feel the familiar pain causing tears to form in her eyes. She looked away from Mulder. "Mulder, I've seen you with children. I know you want to have some someday. I don't think that it would be fair to pursue this relationship any further... It might keep you from finding someone who could have your children."

Mulder could tell by the way she spoke, that she was starting to cry. This evoked a similar response in him. "Scully, look at me." She saw the tears welling up in his eyes. "Scully, if it wasn't for me, you would be able to have children." His speech slowed down and converted to a whisper. "I blame myself- it's my fault."

"No, Mulder. *You* didn't do this to me."

Mulder hugged her tightly as she continued to sob. "I'm so sorry, Scully." He paused a bit before he could continue. She is actually worried she can't have my children. This realization made Mulder feel as if his heart just leapt into his throat. "There's always adoption. You can still be a wonderful mother to a very lucky child. You're no less of a woman because of this. In my eyes, there is no one else above you. I've told you before- I owe you everything."

Once again, as he did in the hallway before the bee stung her, he looked into her tearful eyes. Once again, he started to kiss her. Just as his lips touched hers they were both startled by a loud knock.

They both smiled at each other. Just when they were making some progress, they were interrupted- again. Scully quickly wiped away her tears as Mulder went to open the door. "Who's there?"

"Ah look, if you guys are, ah, busy again, I can come back." Mulder recognized Ed's voice and opened the door. "You're dressed. That's amazing."

"That wouldn't have been the case if you had come a few minutes later. What's up?" Mulder asked.

"Oh nothing, really. Jane and I just wanted to see if you would like to join us for dinner tonight."

"Sure," both Mulder and Scully answered together.

"By the way, you might want to take a break and go out and see the glacier outside. It's awesome. Never seen anything like it."

Ed left them to themselves again. For a moment both felt a bit awkward. They decided to walk outside. Scully picked up the brochure to read the description of the glacier. The glacier was an awesome sight- incredibly tall walls of blue-white ice formations with a river of ice stretched endlessly behind it. Although most likely no one could hear them, Scully remembered to use their first names. "Fox, a river of ice- years of infinitely small movement. Sort of like our relationship." She smiled weakly. They were both silent for a couple of minutes. Scully broke the silence. "It's *so* beautiful."

"It may be beautiful but it can't compete with you, Dana."

Scully looked away from the glacier to see that Mulder apparently had no interest in the glacier; he was focused only on her.

"Dana... there's something else I need to know."

"What is it, Fox?"

"Why did it take us so long to get to this point? Why the glacier-pace?" Mulder became silent. Scully knew he was baiting her. It was a technique they used on others. He offered up something to get something from her.

Scully tried to choose her words carefully. "I don't know what to say. I've never felt the way I felt with you with anyone else. I mean, I've never even been interested in anyone else since I met you, I mean... I'm not very good at this."

Mulder couldn't speak. Even though she struggled to put it into words, he knew he felt the same way. He took her hand instead. Mulder's silence bothered Scully. Tell me what you're thinking Mulder...please!

Mulder spoke slowly at first. "Dana, I... I wish I could put my feelings into words but it's so hard. I never have been able to tell you. Some men can just blurt out 'I love you' and it means nothing. 'I love you' just doesn't do it for me. 'I love you' is a mundane understatement of my feelings for you. You aren't just the most important thing in the world to me- you are my world."

Scully began to cry. "I'm sorry Dana. I don't want to burden you with this. I don't want you to feel that you owe me anything. I just want you to say it's ok for me to feel this way. Really- I never have and I never will expect anything from you."

"Oh Fox, that was the most beautiful thing anyone has ever said to me ever, but..." She continued to sob.

"It's ok, Dana. You don't have to continue." He wiped the tears away from her eyes. "It's ok, really. I have accepted the way things are for a very long time now. You're my best friend and that's always been enough. In fact, that means the world to me. You don't need to come up with reasons why it can't be more than this- "

"Mulder, you still don't have the slightest clue, do you? You just described the way I feel about you better than I ever could. I love you so much! I've been in denial for a very long time. And then when I found out I couldn't have children, I didn't even let myself think about us in that way. I thought about how I felt about you and it hurt so bad I pushed it out of my mind."

Suddenly both spoke each other's names at the same time.

Mulder took her into his arms and hugged her tightly against him, hoping she wouldn't see the tears resulting from the intense emotion that he felt at the moment.

Dinner
7:07PM

The conversation was pleasant, but non-informative. In their minds, Mulder and Scully began to question whether Ed had any awareness of his true involvement with the alien ship.

Soon after, Mulder and Scully excused themselves and returned to their room.

Mulder opened the door and they were shocked to find all of their belongings strewn across the floor. Someone had obviously broken into their room to look for something.

"They know we have the vaccine!" Scully whispered to Mulder, in case they had planted listening devices. Mulder had hidden the vaccine outside of their room.

"Ed made it a point of making sure we would join them for dinner. He has to be involved in this," Mulder whispered back.

Mulder looked for their guns. They had left them in the room. He continued to whisper. "Scully, they took our weapons."

Stuck in the middle of nowhere, and therefore unable to replace their weapons, they might easily be overcome by their enemies. "Mulder, we're safe as long as we still have the vaccine," she told him in a very soft voice.

His voice increased in volume. "My God! Shall we report this?"

"What good would that do, Fox?"

Through continued whispered discussion, they decided they were in extreme danger and needed to get off the ship at the next port- with the vaccine. Unfortunately, the next port was going to have to be the last port- Anchorage. And that would be the day after tomorrow.

They were startled by a knock on the door. They ignored it and quickly got under the covers and pretended to sleep. Both were suddenly shocked by someone kicking the door open.

It was Tom, the man they had met the first evening they spent on the ship. He had one of their guns.

"Where is it?" he asked the agents. They didn't answer him. "Which one of the two of you shall I shoot first? Hmmm. Maybe I'll just take one of you and the other person can think about this for a while." He grabbed Scully by the hand and pulled her out of bed. Mulder stood up to him and Tom pointed the gun at her head.

"You son of a bitch!" Mulder shouted at him.

"It's simple. You give me what I want and I don't kill the little lady here. Don't waste time denying that you know what I mean. What's it going to be?" He pushed the gun more tightly up against Scully's temple.

Mulder could see the man was hurting her but he didn't have the vaccine. "I'll have to get it."

"What do you mean?" Tom shouted.

"Well, it wasn't in here obviously or you would have found it when you tore this place apart. I hid it somewhere else," Mulder explained.

"Then go out and get it! We'll be waiting right here."

"How do I know that you won't hurt her?" There was no way Mulder was going to leave her alone with him in the room.

"You don't have a choice." Scully and Mulder exchanged sorrowful looks.

"Hurt her in any way, and I promise I'll kill you!" With that, Mulder left the room.

Mulder ran to where he had hidden one of the vials. He was only going to give one back.

Suddenly the ship grew quiet again. The engines have stopped! Mulder ran back to the room. Upon returning, Mulder discovered that Scully and the man were gone.

"Scully!!" he shouted in frustration. Mulder realized they wanted Scully more than the vaccine. No, this can't be happening. They're going to take her back to the ship!

Mulder ran all the way down to where they had watched Ed loading the boxes and hid around the corner. Mulder watched as Tom forced Scully through the hatch. It looked as if something was pulling Scully through. Scully's muffled screams forced Mulder to muster all of his self-control to resist getting them both killed by going after her unarmed. Tom closed the hatch and walked towards Mulder. Mulder tripped Tom and took his gun back after a brief struggle. Tom ran away and Mulder ran to open the hatch.

Mulder opened the hatch but found that it was a double door that was locked from the other side. He shot the latch off and opened the door. Climbing inside, Mulder was awestruck by the size of the vehicle. It was identical to the alien ship Scully was aboard in the Arctic.

What could they want with her? She was vaccinated. Not knowing how much time he had left before the cruise ship left again, Mulder tried desperately to find her.

The familiar containers with the host humans lined the walls of the ships. What were they doing with the vaccine and what would they try to do with Scully?

Mulder spotted her and his heart leapt into his throat. Two men or are they men? were loading her into one of the containers as she struggled to get free.

She spotted Mulder. Knowing that Mulder knew where she was, she relaxed and let them force her into the container. Mulder waited until the creatures left and made his way over to her container.

He managed to open it and get her out. They hugged each other in relief. Suddenly there was a loud slamming noise and they looked at each other in terror. "Mulder, they're leaving us here!"

"Come on, Scully- we need to hide or we're going to end up like the rest of the poor hosts in here."

They ran along the rows of containers to try to find somewhere out of sight. There was a passageway and some sort of ladder leading deeper down into the ship. Mulder went down first and Scully followed.

When they reached the lower level, they continued along a double-walled passageway that appeared to go all around the ship. There were doors along the inside wall. "Scully, we need to find some place to hide. We have to take a chance and get in one of the doors. But there are no door handles as we know them. How do we get in?"

"Mulder, look- there's a button over here."

Mulder looked over at Scully before he pushed it. "Why don't you head out until you can't see me around the bend. There might be someone, or more likely, something behind this."

"Mulder, I'm not leaving you alone."

Mulder was thinking that they would kill him immediately. However, he didn't want Scully to think this because he wanted her to have a chance to survive. "Scully, they will capture us both! At least you would have a chance to get away. You could come back when they left me alone to get me. And if it's clear I'll call for you."

Scully thought about it. Mulder had the gun. She nodded and ran around the bend. Mulder pressed the button and the door opened slowly, allowing him to see several of the "men" in front of equipment consoles, perhaps the controls for systems aboard the ship. He turned and ran towards Scully. "Scully, run!"

They both ran until they ran into a wall with another ladder leading even further down into the ship. They descended down the ladder; this time Scully took the lead. She stopped as soon as she could see what was down there. It was a room with unconscious people covered with sheets, strapped to gurneys. There were no aliens in sight. She continued down the ladder and they found some storage containers to hide behind while they looked out into the room.

"Are they still alive?" Mulder whispered.

Scully looked very hard to detect any sign of breathing. She couldn't see any. "They are either dead, or in something close to a state of suspended animation. It's cold down here Mulder. It appears that their metabolism is lowered enough that their autonomous nervous systems have slowed down so that their breathing becomes imperceptible. I need to get closer..."

Scully started to move towards them and Mulder held her back, "No! You wouldn't have time to hide if they came back. Let's slowly make our way over to the other side. There's one of them close to a storage container."

They made their way over there and Scully was able to feel for the person's pulse by placing her fingers on his temple. "Mulder, It's just as I suspected; it's a very, very weak slow pulse. They're still alive!"

Just then they heard a noise and they hid behind the container. Both of them shared the fear of being discovered, so they didn't attempt to see what had entered. Using a trick she had used to sneak a peek at Mulder, Scully looked over at the reflection in one of the containers. She pointed over at it so that Mulder could watch.

The man was injecting the subject with the vaccine. It stopped to watch the subject. The subject remained dormant. The man walked out of the room.

"Scully, we obviously can't hide here. Let's go back up the ladder."

"We've been up there. How about down this other ladder?" Mulder looked over where Scully was pointing and quickly headed down the ladder. This time it appeared they were in some sort of storage room. There were boxes to hide behind. They found a good place and sat down together.

"We should be able to hear someone coming, but we still need to keep whispering, just in case, Scully."

"Mulder, this is hopeless. The Ice Princess left us here. No one will know we are here. We don't have any food or water..."

"Scully, stop it! We are going to get out of here. We just need to think, that's all. There's got to be a way."

"Mulder, the Ice Princess was going to leave us off at Anchorage in two days. Where did it go after that?"

"It returns down the route we came through."

"Well, maybe they have a return rendezvous, Mulder."

"I hope you're right. Still that's four days away though. Four days without food or water, Scully."

"We will be alright without food. After all that food on that cruise, we could probably go a lot longer than four days. It's water we're going to need."

"Let's start opening these boxes, Scully. Maybe we'll find something useful." The first few boxes contained sheets. "Well, we may starve, but at least we can keep warm." They went through the rest of the boxes. It appeared that they removed the belongings of the people they had captured and kept a sampling of them. The closest thing to any form of nourishment was an occasional candy bar or breath mints. They did find a thermos full of cold black coffee.

"This should be enough to keep us going for a few days, Mulder." Behind the boxes, they felt fairly safe. They curled up next to each other and covered themselves in the sheets and went to sleep.

Mulder slept for only a couple of hours. He awoke to find Scully in his arms, curled up against him. Mulder had lots of things pass through his mind as they lay there together. How can I keep doing this to her? Endangering her life... The image of her saying, "I choose to be with you Mulder," played in his head. Other images started running through his mind. All the times she was hurt or in danger, countless times. How can I love her so much yet expose her to so much danger? Mulder considered the alternative, allowing her to have a normal life as a successful doctor, perhaps with an accountant for a husband, several children... Mulder felt the familiar pain of guilt. Well, I ruined that for her too; she can't have any children of her own any more.

Scully woke up. "Mulder..." He kissed her gently. "Mmmmm..." She smiled at him. He wasn't smiling back. "What's wrong? What is it?"

"Nothing, Scully. I've just been thinking, that's all."

Scully worried if he thought the change in their relationship the past few days had all been a mistake. No, he wouldn't have kissed me like that. He must be worried about our situation. "Mulder, have you been considering exploring this place a bit?"

"Scully, I've put you in enough danger."

"Mulder! Maybe we've made a big mistake these past couple of days. If you are going to treat me different as your partner..."

"Scully... " He turned away from her. "Our lives can never be normal. I just think that maybe it would have been better if you had never been assigned to me."

"How many times have we discussed this before, Mulder? It's no different now. If it is, we have a problem." Mulder looked over at her with a worried expression. "Is it different now, Mulder? Are you going to be able to handle this?"

"I... I don't know. I guess no matter how much you try to convince me, deep down in my heart I guess I don't believe that I can love you so much Scully, yet allow you to be in such danger."

"Well that's something you're going to have to deal with Mulder, because we're never going to have 'normal' lives. It doesn't matter what we try to change."

Mulder thought about what she said, but had trouble reconciling the conflict in his mind. "What exactly is 'normal'? Does anyone really have a normal life, Scully?"

She got up and moved towards the door. "Mulder, come on, let's get out of this room and see what we can learn." He grabbed her arm to stop her at first. They looked at each other for a few seconds. Mulder nodded his head reluctantly and followed her.

The ship was dark yet had some source of light. They could make their way around but it was slow and difficult. They didn't want to risk being seen.

"Scully, what if they can sense us in some way? What if they can sense heat, or have some other way of detecting us?"

"They probably would have found us by now then." They decided to slowly open one of the doors. They found another passageway and continued along. At the end was some sort of strange reflection they had never seen before. When they walked up closer to it, it appeared to be some sort of three-dimensional, cubed mirror.

"Mulder, look at this. It isn't solid- it's, it's almost fluid, but it isn't liquid." Before they could take a closer look at it, they heard someone coming across an intersecting passageway. They quickly ran away from the object and pressed themselves flat against the wall behind a curve. They could still bend forward to see who was coming. It was a woman this time. She picked up a device similar to a TV remote control off of a small table, pressed a couple of buttons and, passed through the strange cube. There was a strong white light that appeared. It was intense, yet soft. It slowly faded, almost as if it was being sucked into the area the reflection came from.

Mulder and Scully looked at each other in amazement. "Mulder, do you think it is safe to go into that like she did?" Suddenly the light appeared again. The woman returned and placed the "remote" back.

"It must be. Should we try going through it, Scully?"

Although Scully didn't want to show it to Mulder, she was a bit nervous about entering the object.

"Mulder, this entire vessel is outside the realm of science as we know it, or at least what we perceive it to be. I don't know what to think." She paused for a moment and thought. It was an opportunity to learn something that so far, no one knew about. "Mulder, let's go through it."

"Are you sure, Scully?"

"Absolutely."

"Whatever you do Scully, don't let go of my hand."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I just have a feeling that we need to be one unit or we may become separated."

Mulder grabbed the "remote." "It has characters on the buttons. They're three-dimensional and they keep changing. Which one shall we try?" he asked Scully.

"Try the first button." He pressed it, remembering the character it displayed at the time. Holding hands, they proceeded slowly through one of the sides of the cube. It appeared to have no mass; it only altered the ambient light. It was like passing through cobwebs of light, or a thin lace veil, yet they couldn't physically feel anything. They stopped, now completely enclosed in it. Although they squeezed each other's hands, they could no longer see each other.

"Scully, don't let go of me," Mulder tried to say, but sound was also being absorbed in this medium so that he couldn't hear his own voice. Scully thought that they should continue moving in the direction they started and she began to pull Mulder with her until they exited the cube. Slowly, the strange environment subsided and they found themselves in a hot, dry barren land. They could see and hear each other once again. They could also see the strange reflection off the cube they just passed through. They held tightly onto each other's hands.

"Mulder, where on Earth are we?"

"We might not be on Earth, Scully. The real question is, can we get back? I'll try pushing the same character I pushed last time."

Scully pulled him back into the cube and through the other side. They were still in the dry barren land. They looked back and the reflecting cube was still there. "Mulder, how did that woman get back right away?"

"Scully, how do we know it was 'right away?' It might have been a long time for her although it was only seconds for us. Besides, maybe there is a code they use for each location or time."

"Mulder, you actually think we are traveling in time?"

"Well, I pressed the same character and we returned to the same place. Let's try another character." He pressed another character and they moved in and out of the cube. When they exited, they found themselves in a cool forest.

"Much better. Mulder."

"You know what, Scully? I think she pushed two buttons and I only pressed one. Let's try pressing the same first character and add another one. "

"Mulder, can we continue to move to an infinite number of places then, Mulder? Or is it the same place, only different times?"

"Scully, I can't believe you said that!" Mulder said in an approving manner. He smiled at Scully as she exhibited her smirk. "Now that's more like what I'm used to."

He looked over at her. It was quiet. They were in the middle of the forest with no one around. They moved closer to each other and held each other tightly.

"What if we can't ever get back, Scully?"

"I guess it wouldn't matter to me Mulder, if we were both safe together." He kissed her passionately.

"Let's try the second button." Mulder pressed the same first character and selected a second character. They moved into and out of the cube together once again.

This time they found themselves in some sort of primordial environment. They found it hard to breathe and their eyes started to burn. "Let's go back!" Scully shouted.

Mulder only pressed the first character and ended up in the forest again. "Let's look for food and water, Scully."

"Mulder, what if we can't find this cube again?"

Mulder thought for a second. The sun was hidden so he they couldn't use that as a guide. "Too bad my GPS receiver won't work out here." Still holding Scully's hand, he took it out of his pocket and turned it on. Strange characters moved across the small LCD screen. "Scully, take a look at this."

"Mulder, it looks like there is some sort of transmission it's picking up. Too bad we can't read it." Scully became frustrated because, once again, there was no basis in science to explain their environment. "Where the hell are we, anyway? Could it be that we're on the other side of some sort of silver hole- maybe something similar to a black hole, except light and other material doesn't just get sucked away, it gets 'reflected' somewhere else?"

"Scully!" He smiled at her and she returned a smirk. "Shall we play Hansel and Gretel and throw down bread crumbs to find our way back?"

"No Mulder, I've already spent enough time with you in forests. If we have to spend the rest of our lives stranded somewhere, why can't it be a lovely deserted island somewhere in the South Pacific?"

"Ok, Mary Anne. Whatever you want. I can be Gilligan. 'Don't hit me, I won't try to kiss you again!'" Mulder recited in a squeamish voice. "Do you think they ever did it Scully?"

Scully smiled at him but ignored him. "Mulder, how about dragging a stick through the dirt behind us so we can find our way back?"

"Great idea. Here's a stick." Mulder dragged the stick behind them. Scully began examining the plants along their path. Although she originally thought this was an ordinary forest, she began to suspect otherwise. The plants she picked up were different than any she had ever seen. Still holding Mulder's hand, she stopped and pulled him back."

"What's wrong Scully?"

"Mulder, look at this!" The plant was moving in her hand. They looked at the plants below. Although firmly rooted in the ground they were moving, perhaps trying to get out of the agents' shadows.

"I don't know about eating or drinking anything here, Scully. Let's get back to the granola bars and cold coffee back in the ship!"

"Only problem is that we haven't figured out the code to get back there yet. Let's keep going for a while, Mulder."

They continued up a slight hill. The trees and plants disappeared abruptly to reveal a surreal city. There were strange structures in place of buildings and houses.

"Mulder, this is incredible!"

"Do you want to go down there?" he asked her.

Scully looked behind them. The strange plants had moved so that she could no longer see where Mulder had scratched the stick to mark their path. "Mulder, it doesn't look like we're going to find our way back."

Mulder couldn't see the path he had scratched either. "Scully, I just noticed something. Have you seen any animals or even insects?"

Scully looked around. She couldn't hear any birds chirping. In fact, the only sounds were coming from the rustling of the plants. She looked down at the unusual structures before them. "Mulder, there doesn't seem to be any life down there either."

"Well, then it should be safe to go down there." Still holding hands, they looked at each other. "There doesn't seem to be much reason to have to hold hands any more." They slowly released each others' hands as they continued to look at each other. Missing her touch, he put his arm around her and they proceeded down to the "town" together.

They reached the first structure. Mulder touched the side of it. "Scully, what do you think this is made of?"

Scully examined the bluish wall. "I don't have any idea. It is shiny and smooth like plastic but it has a tinny sound to it when you tap it. It doesn't seem painted."

They walked around it but couldn't find a door. When they walked in front of one of the sides, a panel that wasn't previously visible suddenly opened for them. They looked at each other in surprise.

Before going into the opening they looked inside. It was lit but there were no windows or lights. "Mulder, the walls seem to be somehow "giving off" light."

They entered the structure and the door closed behind them. It opened when they walked in front of it again. The rooms inside the abode were empty. They went outside and explored the other "houses," but didn't find anything different.

"Scully, what's your attempt at a scientific explanation for this?"

"I don't know where to start. We enter some sort of underwater craft and find a 'silver hole' that acts as a passageway to different places, perhaps even different times by reflecting matter. Everything defies normal logic or reason... I know what I saw and did. Could this all be some sort of illusion?"

"It's a damn good one, Scully." Mulder tapped on one of the walls of the structure they were in.

"I'm hungry Mulder. I just wish we could find something to eat, or even drink." Suddenly a table with food and water appeared for them. Astonished, they walked over to it. There were apples and Scully picked one up.

"It looks like an apple." she smelled it. "It smells like an apple." She took a bite. "It tastes like an apple. Try one, Mulder."

Remembering the plants that moved, Mulder slowly took an apple from Scully's hand and bit into it cautiously. "Don't you feel a bit like Adam and Eve?"

There was also a pitcher of water on the table with some glasses. Scully poured some into the glasses. Mulder stopped her from drinking from one of the glasses. "What's wrong Mulder?"

"I don't know. We come in here, there is no sign of life and the rooms are empty. Then all of sudden, food and water appear out of nowhere. Don't you think that's odd?"

'Mulder, to use the word 'odd' to describe everything that has happened to us is an understatement. My frame of reference has been destroyed."

Mulder looked towards another room and walked towards it. "Scully, take a look at this. I was thinking that I wanted a place to get some rest and we get a bedroom."

Scully immediately went to lay down on it. "I say we don't look a gift horse in the mouth." She patted the space besides her. "Come on Mulder, let's get some sleep."

Mulder crawled in next to her and Scully snuggled up next to him. "Maybe after we get some rest we can think more clearly." Mulder was tired and for once they were both able to get some sleep.

Some time later

Mulder woke up and kissed Scully to awaken her. Scully looked around. "Good morning, Eve."

Scully sighed. "I was hoping this was all a dream, Adam."

"Scully, what do you want for breakfast?"

Scully shut her eyes. "Hmmm... French toast with fresh strawberries would be great."

Mulder went into the next room and brought back a tray with the food, just as Scully had imagined it. "Is this what you had in mind?"

They ate the breakfast. "I wonder what else we can conjure up?" Scully pondered.

Mulder couldn't think of anything he really wanted at this point besides Scully. He looked into her eyes. "I only want you." He put the tray on the floor and moved in next to her. They spent the rest of the morning making love.

Later that morning, Mulder thought about how her infertility affected their lovemaking. There was no fear of pregnancy. Instead, there was a sadness whenever they discussed the subject. Mulder wished things had been different and they could someday have a child. Suddenly they heard the cry of a very young infant. Turning to look at each other in shock, Mulder told Scully what he had wished for. "Scully, I wished that it were possible for us to have a child together."

They got up to find the infant in the other room. It was in a portable baby bed. "Oh my God, Mulder- it looks just like one of my baby pictures! But it also looks a bit like you too!"

Mulder picked the baby up and looked down the front of its diaper. "It's a boy." The infant continued to cry.

"I wish I could feed it somehow." Just then Scully felt the front of her blouse dampen. Instinctively she pulled her blouse up and lifted up her bra. Mulder handed her the baby. "I guess we have to be careful what we wish for around here."

As she fed the baby both of them were in awe of what had just happened.

"Scully, I'm wondering if somehow we didn't make it off that alien ship and somehow we're dead. This is actually too strange for me."

"Mulder, I can't believe I've actually heard you say that after all the bizarre occurrences we've witnessed over the years."

There was a diaper bag next to the baby bed. "Well, at least he came with adequate supplies Scully."

After the baby had fallen asleep feeding, Mulder took him from Scully and sat with him in his arms. Scully looked at them both. "This is a dream. I do not believe this is happening."

"If it's a dream, please don't awaken me. I don't know about you, but I don't mind living in the Twilight Zone for a while, Scully."

"I think this is an episode where someone gets whatever they want. They think they're in heaven but find out they're actually in hell, Mulder."

"I need to experience this a bit longer before I get that bored with getting whatever I want, whenever I want it," Mulder told her as he looked down at the miracle in his arms. "Scully, what do we name the baby?"

"I always intended to name my son after my father, but maybe there are too many people with that name already."

"There are too many Ahabs, Scully?"

Scully smiled at Mulder. "No, it was the name of both of our fathers, your middle name and my brother's name- William."

"Maybe you're right. I don't really want to name my son after my father. He can have his last name though. And yours too-Scully-Mulder."

"How about naming him after your sister, except of course, he can be Samuel instead of Samantha."

Mulder thought a bit about it. "That's a great idea." He looked down at the baby. "Hey Sammy. How do you like that name- Sam Scully-Mulder?" The baby was still asleep. "I don't think he'll mind. At least I don't think he'll hate his first name like I hate mine." Mulder held his hand out to Scully and pulled her next to him when she took it. For a brief moment in time, all was perfect for the three of them. After that moment passed, Mulder and Scully knew their time in paradise was meant to be brief, and they talked about getting back to the real world.

FBI Headquarters
9:06AM

Skinner stood impatiently outside of Kersch's office. "He had an appointment with me at nine. Where is he?" Skinner asked Kersch's secretary.

"I'm sure he'll be here soon, sir."

Kersch came strolling around the corner. "Come in," he motioned to Skinner.

Skinner refused to sit down. "Where are Mulder and Scully? They were supposed to return days ago. What happened to them?"

"Calm down, Skinner. We have word that they disappeared off the ship right before the end of the cruise. You know, it's quite possible they decided to leave the FBI altogether and start a new life together. Reports indicate they were very much enamoured with each other."

"That's highly unlikely, Kersch. Those reports were due to the fact that they were undercover as newlyweds. The reports also indicated that their belongings were found in their room. Why wouldn't they have taken them with them?"

"I don't know. We're still looking for them. I haven't written them off yet." Skinner gave him an impatient look and left the office.

Unknown Place
Unknown Time

Mulder and Scully decided to return to the forest to find the silver cube. They took the baby with them. They spent several hours wandering around without any luck. "Mulder, we could be stuck here."

"Well, maybe there are worse things that could happen to us. Maybe we can get back to the town before it gets dark."

"Mulder, does it get dark?"

"Good question. But if it does get dark, I would rather be in the nice warm, safe structure down there than in this forest of moving plants though. Besides, I haven't really finished wishing for everything I wanted."

"Like what Mulder, Gina in the short skirts perhaps?" Scully playfully hit Mulder as he smiled pensively at the thought. They started back.

"Mulder, look- the cube."

They looked at each other for a moment, each a bit saddened. "Scully, I just have this fear that the baby isn't real. What if we leave this world and the baby doesn't exist outside of it?"

It was clear that both of them had become quite attached to little Sammy. "I was thinking the same thing. I guess if that happens, he wasn't meant to be. I just don't know if I can go through this again." Mulder knew she was referring to Emily. This time was different. Sammy wan't an alien hybrid; they had checked the back of his neck immediately after he appeared.

"Well, we could stay here indefinitely Scully. Just the three of us in our own world." She paused a moment and kissed the baby on the forehead. Sammy was awake and was looking over at Mulder. Mulder kissed him too. "I can't believe I can come to have such strong feelings about a child that appears out of thin air."

"Let's go Mulder. We don't belong here. We have to at least try to get back to our own world." Mulder pressed the two three dimensional characters he believed would get them back and he led Scully and Sam through the silver substance.

They were once again back in the alien ship. Mulder and Scully were surprised to find Sammy was still with them. Mulder threw the remote down and both Mulder and Scully hugged and kissed the baby. "Now we've got to get out of here," Mulder told Scully as he looked around them.

"How long do you think we were we gone, Mulder?"

"I don't know- maybe a few days. If time is consistent between where we were and here, the ships should be rendezvousing soon, or we just missed it."

"Let's hope we didn't miss it. Our chances of making it out of here have decreased significantly with the baby. We have to get out of here as soon as we can."

They thought of little else but returning closer to where the hatch was and waiting it out. They made their way back up there and hid in one of the passageways. The baby began to fuss. "Scully, can you feed him? Maybe he'll stay quiet." Scully wondered if she still had the ability to feed him but the feeling of heaviness in her breasts that had now become familiar reassured her that she did. The process seemed to provide the baby with the security he needed to quiet down and quickly go to sleep. Mulder and Scully breathed a sigh of relief.

"Mulder, if we make it out of here, how do we explain the baby?"

"We could disappear for a while and then come back with him. We could claim that he is a bit younger than he is and that you were pregnant with him all along."

"This is just too bizarre, Mulder. Don't get me wrong- when I found out I couldn't have a child it tore me apart. I hadn't even thought much about it until then, but being told I couldn't have one made me want one more than anything. Having Sammy is too good to be true. I'm sure we'll think of something." They looked at each other and then down to the sleeping infant.

Suddenly there was the familiar loud clanking noise and they ran quickly to where the hatch was. This time someone was handing boxes up to the Ice Princess. "What's going on?" Scully asked Mulder.

"I don't know. They may have altered the vaccine somehow, or it may be the virus." They had little time to speculate; the men closed the hatch and left. "Scully, we need to move fast."

He pulled her back over to where the hatch was. Mulder tried to open it but found it to be stuck. "You're going to have to help me Scully. Put Sammy down for a minute and when I say push, shove all your weight against it. PUSH!"

The latch opened just as the Ice Princess' engines started up again. "Hurry Scully!" Scully picked up the baby and Mulder pushed them through. Scully put the baby down and pulled Mulder through. They closed the hatch seconds before the ship started to move.

It was dark and there was nothing they could do until morning. They broke into one of the many vacant rooms and went to bed. Although the baby continued to sleep, neither one of them could sleep. "Scully, I am so sorry. It's because of me you live like this. Now we have a baby to worry about too."

"Mulder, stop this, right now. I told you I chose this life and you have to accept it. Stop trying to protect me. We do have to think about the baby now though."

Mulder looked over at Scully in silence. Ironically, each life-threatening experience they shared reinforced the bond between them. The baby further cemented the bond. Scully took Mulder's hand to reassure him as she always did in these situations.

Day 7
College Fjord

"We still have the vaccine, Mulder. Don't we?"

"They're hidden. At least I think they still are. I am going to have to check."

Both of them went together to where Mulder had hidden them. They were both gone.

AD Kerch's office

"I see from your report that you failed to find the money launderers."

"I guess they must have canceled their trip, " Mulder responded.

"Agent Mulder, what was the real reason the two of you went out there?"

"Why AD Kerch, I told you. Here's the file- you can see for..."

He interrupted Mulder with a hand gesture. "Never mind, Agents. I'm not even going to ask where you were when you disappeared off the ship. You're dismissed." ,P> Mulder and Scully looked over at each other puzzled because they anticipated greater resistance. "Let's go Scully."

Once they were back at work, it almost seemed that what transpired between them outside of Alaska never happened. In fact, both of them were in need of reassurance that the other person really did mean the things that were said. Now back at his desk, Mulder decided he needed her. "Scully, can you spend the night at my place tonight?"

Scully was pleased that he had extended the invitation. She didn't have to ask what he had in mind. It was now the opposite of what they started out with on the Ice Princess. Out there, they're "professional" but behind close doors they're lovers. "Sure. I'll come over after I pick up the baby at my mom's, Mulder." Scully's mother had agreed to watch the baby during the day for them. Until such time that they could legally adopt him, Scully would say that it was a cousin's child that she was watching.

Mulder's apartment
7PM

Scully walked up to Mulder's apartment door as she had done many times in the past. This time was different. The anticipation sharpened all of her senses.

Mulder opened the door and let them in. Sammy was asleep in his car seat and she gently placed him in the portable bed that Mulder had set up for him. Mulder looked down at him as he slept. "I was hoping he'd be awake for a while but this will actually work out better." He turned towards Scully and they looked into each other's eyes for a few minutes. Mulder took Scully's hand and led her to the bedroom where they slowly undressed each other. Just as they had been all alone in the world the silver cube had brought them to, they were once again in a world all their own. As they made love, only the present mattered. The past didn't matter, and they could worry about the future later...

After they had finished, they lay there touching each other lovingly. Sam began to fuss in the next room. Scully got up. "I guess it's time for me to feed him."

"Bring him back in bed with us, Scully." Mulder watched as Scully fed him. "Have you thought of running a DNA test on the three of us?"

"Already did, Mulder. He's ours. I had to give other people's names to the samples so no one would ask questions we couldn't answer."

"And he's a normal child?"

"I haven't run any extensive tests but the pediatrician I took him to for his shots said he was a healthy little boy."

"I'd like to go with you when you go next time, Scully. I want to raise him with you."

"I'm sorry, Mulder- of course. It's just that I was afraid of finding out that something was wrong."

"Now who is protecting whom, Scully?" Scully smiled. He was right.

"Mulder, what do we do next?"

"Well, we can give the GPS coordinates of the ship to the FBI and have them go out there just to find the ship's been moved already. Or how about telling them that the Ice Princess has a secret underwater hatch? I'm sure they have some off-the-wall explanation for that as well. Face it Scully, we're right back to where we started from, except..."

"Sammy? We can't..."

"No Scully, wait." Mulder got up and got a small plant from the windowsill. "How are they going to explain this?" The plant moved from side to side.

"When did you pick that up?"

"I guess it got stuck in my shoe and survived the trip back somehow. I put it in dirt and it seems to be doing ok. Maybe you could do some analysis on it."

"I would like to, but what would that prove? That it's life unlike anything else known on this planet?"

"Scully, it's a start."

"That was the case with Emily and we couldn't prove anything with her, Mulder. This is just a plant."

"Maybe you're right. Once again we're right back where we started."

They both turned to look at Sammy. They weren't exactly right back where they started. Mulder made funny faces and noises for him. Sammy seemed to enjoy them. This time they did have something to show for their trouble, but neither one of them wished to show it.

Both Scully and Mulder looked at each other in surprise; Sammy appeared to be smiling.

End

Notes:

This orphaned work was originally on Pejas WWOMB posted by author Aubrey.
If this work is yours and you would like to reclaim ownership, you can click on the Technical Support and Feedback link at the bottom fo the page.

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