Behaving Badly
BY: LEELEE
NC-17
Category: MSR, smut. 
Summary: Mulder is bound to behave badly if his freedom is curtailed.
Disclaimer: No money being made off this. (No money being made for Fox off 
season 9 either!)  
Archive: Just drop me a line first.
Many thanks as always to SeekerOne. Co-writer, beta reader, Dear Abby and 
friend. Also thanks to MummieHelen and Paige C. for their support and best 
wishes during my time of need. This is my first full MSR. Since I couldn't go 
to my Skinner-centric friends for help, I tried the beta reader's website in 
search of a competent beta. They gave me Kara and I am happy to report she is 
the perfect foil for my rambling. Thank you, Kara for being so amazing and 
stepping in.
Please send feedback to Viceyy@aol.com 


 
POWER PLAY. 
Pronunciation: 'pau(-&)r 'plA
Function: noun
1: a military, diplomatic, political, or administrative maneuver in which 
power is brought to bear
2 a: a concentrated attack in football in which the ballcarrier is preceded 
by a mass of blockers b: a situation in ice hockey in which one team 
temporarily has more players on the ice than the other team because of a 
penalty 

She'd been a part of so many bureaucratic power plays through the years. But 
the fiercest she ever fought started with these words:

"Just get lost, Agent Scully. And take that damn fool over there with you!"

Dana Scully just looked at her boss with a frustrated expression on her face. 
Get lost? How? She just knew that the 'damn fool', also known as Special 
Agent Fox Mulder, was glaring a hole through her back. He'd spent the brief 
meeting standing stock-still against the wall shooting angry looks at anyone 
who dared speak to him. She could feel his anger rolling over her in waves. 
Getting more information out of her boss would be safer considering the 
dangerous mood her partner was in. Skinner dismissed her by walking away 
abruptly and joining the ATF agents who were deep in conversation at the 
conference table. 

"Sir?" she said and followed him. No way was she going to let her boss leave 
it like that! "Sir, excuse me.  But what am I supposed to do with him? Get 
lost could mean anything. I mean, do you want me to hide him? Why can't he go 
to a safe house?"

Skinner turned around to scowl at her. His face was taking on an angry, 
florid shade of red. Excellent, she thought. It was 7:45 a.m. and already 
he's blaming me for the stupid mess Mulder has gotten into. Skinner took a 
deep breath and spoke in an irritatingly slow voice, as if to a slightly 
backward child. "Agent Scully, the man Mulder saw making the arms deal is 
named John Presley Gates. He's retired FBI and odds are he has contacts, 
perhaps even accomplices within the Bureau. This may be an ATF matter, but 
with the FBI exposed like this, with the danger that presents, I can't send 
Mulder to a safe house. Take him the hell out of town. I'll have Kimberly get 
you a cash advance. Just take him and get lost. Report to me by cell phone on 
a daily basis." 

Skinner looked up at where Mulder was leaning against the wall of his office, 
his posture and expression belligerent. Shaking his head tiredly, her boss 
pulled off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. 

"Just get him away and hide him, Scully." His voice was quiet. Meant for her 
ears only. "And don't let him out of your sight. You know how he is." 

Putting his glasses back on, he looked directly at Mulder before speaking in 
a voice loud enough for the younger man to hear.  "He can't save the whole 
damn world. Sometimes even Fox Mulder needs to back off and let others do the 
job!"
 
Pushing angrily away from the wall, Mulder stormed out of the office and 
slammed the door. Scully had seen it coming but still jumped at the noise. 
She closed her eyes and quickly counted to ten. Just what she needed in her 
life right now, a self-righteous Mulder. She just knew he was going to blame 
her for this disaster.  He had wanted her to go with him last night but she 
had wanted to go shopping instead and passed up the unauthorized stake out. 
It was childish, immature and selfish of him to blame this on her, but Mulder 
was, after all, a man. Man, the world's most predictable beast. 

She nodded faintly at Skinner and exited the same door, though more quietly 
than Mulder had. She had no hope of catching up with him. More to the point, 
she had no desire to. The nuclear blast of his anger would be waiting for her 
in their office. He would be angry with himself, but take it out on her. 
Screw up and blame it on the nearest female. They must teach all men this at 
some secret man school she didn't know about. God knows her brothers had both 
attended graduate classes there. Mulder would blame her and make this entire 
'getting lost' business a nightmare. Forget the fact that she had told him 
the week before that she needed to spend last night with her Mom, Mulder was 
a man and therefore bound to behave badly.

She had worked herself into a lather by the time she walked down to the 
basement, her frustration building with each tap of her heels hitting the 
floor. Blaming Mulder for all the evil in her life. This whole mess was just 
another damn inconvenience. They both had so much work on their desks that 
having to 'get lost' could not have come at a worst time.

As predicted, Mulder exploded before she was even through the office door. 

"This is bullshit Scully! He wants me out of here so that HE can get all the 
credit for the take down!" 

Scully just raised her eyebrows and smirked.

"Shut up, you know what I mean." He said and stalked over close to her. She 
had long ago learned not to back down when he did this. The old 'intimidate 
her through his size' thing wouldn't work and he knew it.

"I arrested the guy, Scully. By myself," he added, in what was almost a 
growl. "He was trying to sell weapons to a Bolivian drug lord and I don't 
care what the ATF assholes say, I'm not going to step down and get lost. This 
collar is mine." 

Mulder leaned in close enough for his warm breath to ruffle her hair. He had 
taken off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. With his tie tugged loose, he 
looked on the verge of violence. 

"Mulder, the ATF feels that this guy wasn't working alone. They'd been 
watching him for weeks, trying to find his accomplices." She put on her best 
placating face and tried to reason with him. He was standing so close she 
could feel his body heat. She still wasn't intimidated though, an angry 
Mulder was more exciting than intimidating.

"You saw him make a deal, Mulder. You are now their best witness. Of course, 
they're going to want you safely tucked away.  Gates knows who you are! Your 
evidence will clench the case and you've got to be around to present it."

"I can take care of myself!" he shouted in her face and waved his arms. A 
shiver of recognition coursed through her. She would never tell him how much 
she enjoyed sparing with him. It appealed to her on so many different levels, 
but now was not the time. They had to leave and she needed to make plans. 

"Can you really?" Scully responded sarcastically. Putting her fingertips 
against his warm chest, she pressed him back. "Well, that's just great Agent 
Mulder. You handle these guys while they're sneaking up and putting a bullet 
through your fat head. I'm going to try and figure out where we're going to 
hide until this blows over."

She turned her back on him and crossed to her desk. Mulder stood still for a 
moment and then left the office in a huff. She had to clench her hands into 
fists to fight off the urge to run after him. He'd be safe in the Hoover 
building. Of course, he could leave. She almost bolted out the door after him 
until she saw his jacket lying in a heap on his desk where he had thrown it. 
Digging around, she pulled his car keys from the pocket and allowed herself 
to relax with a sigh of relief.

She stared across the office trying to come up with the best way to handle 
him. Brushing her hair off her face, she could smell Mulder's after-shave 
clinging to the tips of her fingers. She waved her fingers under her nose 
absently. He had changed colognes a few months ago and this scent was now her 
favorite. 

The enormity of the situation hit her as she sat down heavily in Mulder's 
chair. Until Skinner took care of things she would have to keep her 
unpredictable partner safe from harm. Protecting him was all-important, not 
just because the case was important, but also because he was . . . well her 
partner and friend. Scully breathed in the smell of his after shave on her 
fingers again. Yes, partner, friend, so much better to think of him in those 
simple terms. It was much easier than digging any deeper and thinking of him 
in other 'dangerous' ways.  

Mulder was angry now, but she would make him see sense. She didn't have a 
choice. Skinner had mentioned that they might offer John Gates a deal. If 
that worked, Mulder and she could return in just a few days. But in the 
meantime she would have to control the situation and her arrogant partner. 
Now, if she could just find a way to do it with out handcuffing Mulder to a 
tree. Tying him up. Strapping him down. Stripping him bare... Scully shook 
her head and banished that 'dangerous' thought. She had to get a handle on 
her libido and focus.

Mulder hated not being in the center of things. The inactivity of just hiding 
out would drive him crazy. Her eyes fell on his desk and the clutter spread 
over it. She was hunting around for an idea, any idea, when the ghost of J. 
Edgar or Lady Luck finally smiled on her. There lying in a stack of files was 
the Markossee lights.

While she was packing up all they would need, Kimberly brought her an 
interoffice envelope and had her sign for it. Inside was five thousand 
dollars in mixed bills, along with a brief memo from Skinner:

To: Agent Dana Scully
From: Walter S. Skinner
Re: Safety of Agent Fox Mulder
As you can see there should be more than enough here to support both you and 
Agent Mulder for a few weeks. If we are unable to cut a deal with Gates, I 
will get you more. In the meantime, do not use any credit cards and call me 
on my cell at exactly six every night. And what ever happens, get me a 
receipt for EVERY penny you spend.
Be careful.

WSS/kc

Always the administrator, Scully thought. Hope you don't get yourself killed, 
but if you do, be sure to bring me a receipt for the body bag. Scully had 
half a mind to take Mulder to Vegas and watch him blow it all at the craps 
table. Of course with the way things were going, he'd probably win. 

Scully picked up both of their briefcases and Mulder's coat. Turning out the 
lights, she locked the door behind her and headed for the elevator. As she 
waited for the doors to open, she couldn't help fantasizing of doing the 
unpredictable. They could go to Vegas and take the town by storm. That way 
they could return Skinner's 'get lost' money to him with interest.

Scully rode the elevator to the parking garage and took Mulder's small 
emergency suitcase from his trunk. Putting it beside hers in the trunk of her 
car, she chuckled to herself for the first time that morning. Mulder and her 
in Vegas, what an idea. Oh the possibilities! Get him drunk and rent a 
honeymoon suite perhaps? A hot bubble bath scented with his new cologne and 
two glasses of champagne? She would love to return and traipse into Skinner's 
office decked out in expensive Vegas boutique clothes. "Here's your five thou 
back big guy, and a ten spot for your trouble." He'd probably lose what was 
left of his hair.

She shook off her humor and let the dread she was feeling creep back over 
her. No Vegas for them, she had to find her partner and whisk him safely 
away. The bubble bath would have to wait until her next lifetime.  

Finding Mulder hadn't been a problem. Just like she suspected, he was 
wandering around the communications center. The computer nerds who worked 
there looked on him as their own personal hero. How he could take being 
adored by so many men in thick glasses, she couldn't understand. Getting him 
to the car and out of Washington was a bit harder. He whined and complained 
like a spoiled two-year old before falling into a stony silence. Glaring 
angrily out the window when she got onto interstate 95 heading south.

RIGH·TEOUS
Pronunciation: 'rI-ch&s
Function: adjective
1: acting in accord with divine or moral law: free from guilt or sin
2 a: morally right or justifiable  b: arising from an outraged sense of 
justice or morality <righteous indignation>

Mulder waited until they were close to Richmond, before he felt calm enough 
to start a conversation. He was kicking himself over the mess he'd gotten 
them in. Being treated like a naughty child wasn't helping. 

"So, how was your shopping trip?" He had meant it politely. He truly had. Of 
course he should have known she would take offence, like any irrational woman.

"I am allowed to take an evening off, Mulder." 

Feeling a little guilty there, Agent Scully? Well GOOD! "I'm aware of that 
Scully. I wasn't implying that you weren't. I was simply asking how your time 
with your mother went!" Mulder said, hoping the tone of his voice left no 
doubt of whom was in control.

Scully was glaring at the blue minivan in front of her like she wanted to ram 
it. Her cheeks were flushed and if she didn't loosen her grip on the steering 
wheel, she'd break a nail. Seeing her like this felt...well, gratifying.

"It was fine, Mulder. Fine."

"Good, I'm glad." He put on his most disinterested voice. "My night was fine 
too."

He could feel the storm about to strike. 

"Damnit Mulder! You didn't have to race over to that warehouse BY YOURSELF 
just because the Gunmen gave you some half-assed speculation that it was 
owned by an arms dealer! You could have used your head you know. You should 
have called for back up, and done things by the book, just once in your 
career." Her words were clipped and terse. Delivered in a tone that left no 
doubt of how angry she was. He would not let her see how pissed off she was 
making him. Calm, rational and reasonable drove her nuts. They'd been 
partners long enough for him to know every way imaginable to get her goat. 

"You're right of course," he answered and hid his sneer under a dignified 
look.  "But, tell me this..." He never got a chance to finish. Scully, face 
bright red and eyes bulging, turned to him and screamed. "I don't want to 
discuss it any further!" 

Mulder just sat back in his seat. She was, after all, driving. Besides, he 
felt in some perverted way that he had gotten back a bit of his own by making 
her loose control. So he shut his mouth and let her drive. He'd ask her where 
they were going later. When he was in the mood to hear about it. It really 
didn't matter anyway, he had no intention of running for long. As soon as he 
figured out who Gates' accomplices were, they'd head back to Washington.
  
The rest of the afternoon passed in silence. Even over the late lunch they 
ate neither one of them said above two words. They drove straight through the 
afternoon until the sun had gone down. Not once did Scully ask him to drive. 
She knew he hated to be in the passenger seat and he added that to his long 
and growing list of grievances. She stopped at a motel without consulting 
him, silently got out of the car, and went into the office. His back hurt 
from the long drive spent being chauffeured by his keeper. All he wanted to 
do was get the hell away from her. 

The room was clean and pleasant. She'd left the adjoining door cracked open 
and he could hear her as she got into the shower. Mulder had tried to behave 
as though he was resigned to his fate. He had politely offered to carry her 
suitcase inside plopping down on his bed and offering a quiet, "Goo' Night, 
Scully"- he could tell she wasn't fooled. 

Her soft knock came moments before she pushed the door open. He'd 
deliberately taken off his shirt and unbuttoned his slacks. Scully was so 
predictable that he had foreseen this late night visit. Sitting on the bed 
half dressed was just his way of reminding her that she was invading his 
privacy. Mulder looked up at her and tried to stay calm. Sometimes Scully's 
late night partnerly visits to his room really pissed him off. It was 
difficult at times to distinguish between his up-tight, buttoned-down partner 
and this soft, freshly bathed woman. She must have some serious doubts about 
his masculinity to be able to stand there wearing only cream colored silk 
pajamas and no robe. A perverse part of him wondered briefly if he should 
tell her that he could see the outline of her hard nipples through the shirt. 

She was ignoring his near-nudity and looking at the papers he had strewn out 
all around him on the bedspread.
 
"What's all this, Mulder?" 

What the hell. He was tired, bored, and she had more than earned his 
rudeness. 

He deliberately sat and stared at her chest until she realized what he was 
doing 
and nervously crossed her arms blocking his view. He knew he was acting like 
an asshole, but he didn't care. She should be helping him, not acting like 
Skinner's fucking pet watchdog.

"John Gates' personnel file." He finally said.

Her eyes went wide and she reached out and grabbed the papers from his hands. 
"Mulder, where the hell did you get that?" 

"I have my sources. Ones that you're too busy 'shopping' to know about." He 
couldn't keep the sneer out of his voice. He knew he wasn't being fair to her 
about wanting to spend time with her mother, but he was just too mad at 
himself to stop it.

Scully was looking through the papers and didn't notice that he was staring 
at her chest again. Getting no response, he lay back on his elbows and added 
with as much authority as he could muster. 

"We're going to study it and try to figure out who his accomplices are, 
before driving back." Somehow he had to stay on top of this. Getting Scully 
to do what he wanted her to do wasn't always that hard.

Scully looked him in the eye and he could see the determination screwing up 
her face. "Mulder, we aren't going near Washington. I've brought along a case 
that we're going to go investigate."

"An X-File?"

"Yes, an X-File." Her cheeks were flushed and her chest was heaving. He let 
his eyes lower until he was staring at her breasts again. Damnit! She really 
needed to put a robe on. It was becoming a distraction. Her nipples stood out 
like to dark beacons and he wanted to reach over and grab them.

"What fucking case, Scully?" he growled.

"The Markossee lights." Her voice was firm and she lifted her chin as though 
to dare him not to take her seriously.

Leaning back on the bed with an air of confidence, he put his hands behind 
his head and relaxed. He tried to ignore her now heaving chest, and laughed 
coldly in her face. 

"Give me a fucking break, Scully! I'm not falling for that bullshit."

She leaned in and almost yelled, "Mulder, it's a legitimate X-file, you said 
so yourself."

"And as department head, I've determined that we'll investigate it in due 
course. But now, we're working on this."

Scully was really fired up now. Her arms waved in her frustration. Her thin 
pajama top moved enticingly over her breasts, defining them and outlining 
them in a way that was making his mouth water. "Mulder, there is no THIS! We 
are not working on the case. We are in hiding. There will be no going back to 
Washington." she stormed. "We are going to go to Florida to investigate those 
stupid lights and stay low!"

"Fine!" He tried to stay calm. It was becoming more than an argument. Looking 
back up into her face, he glared at her. He was NOT going to run and hide. 

"You go work on what ever stupid case you want. I'll get a cab to the nearest 
airport and fly back." Grabbing the papers from her hand, he quickly 
collected the rest of them up and turned away from her.

"Mulder, be reasonable." Her voice wasn't pleading, it was commanding and he 
had heard more than enough. 

"I am reasonable Scully. It's Skinner that doesn't trust me. And it seems 
that you don't either."

He could see her standing with her hands on her hips out of the corner of his 
eye. Packing the papers into his briefcase, he ignored her. Seeing reason! 
SHE needed to be a bit more reasonable. He'd had it. He was out of here!

Scully looked around the room for anything that would give her an idea on how 
to stop him. He was out of control and she wouldn't allow him to go charging 
off and get himself killed. 

Reasoning with him wasn't working. 

Asking nicely wasn't working. 

Mulder was dead set on going back and nothing short of shooting him would 
stop him from walking straight into the arms dealer's network. He had sat 
down on the bed by the phone and was already asking the desk clerk about a 
number for a cab company when it hit her. He'd kill her for sure, but 
hopefully the large headboard would hold.


CON-STRAIN 
Pronunciation: k&n-'strAn
Function: transitive verb
1: to force by imposed stricture, restriction, or limitation 
2: to secure by or as if by bonds: CONFINE; broadly: LIMIT
3:  to hold back by or as if by force <constraining my mind not to wander 
from the task -- Charles Dickens>
 
Running back into her room, Scully grabbed what she needed and got back to 
Mulder, just as he was hanging up with the desk clerk. She didn't even allow 
herself to think. She just threw herself onto him and grabbed his wrist. She 
had to make him understand how serious she was.

"Scully!" Mulder shouted in surprise, as her satin covered body descended 
upon him and pressed him into the pillows. He was shocked into stillness by 
the unexpected feel of her warm body over his, until he heard the handcuff 
click around his wrist and again around the headboard.

"What the hell are you doing?" Mulder yanked against the handcuffs that held 
his left hand firmly to the headboard and looked at his partner in amazement. 
He couldn't believe she had just cuffed him to the bed! She tried to get away 
from him, but he was too fast. With his free arm, he grabbed her around the 
waist and pulled her down on top of him. "GODDAMNIT! Let me go Scully, NOW!" 
he bellowed in her ear. This was not happening. His partner hadn't just 
handcuffed him to the bed.

"No!" She struggled against him trying to get up. "You're not ditching me 
this time, Mulder!"

He just held her tightly against him. What did she think she could do? Keep 
him cuffed to a bed until the trial? He'd kick her sweet ass! He pressed her 
chest into his so tightly, that he could feel her breath leaving her with a 
whoosh. But she didn't back down. Grabbing his hair in both her fists, she 
pulled his head back as far as it would go, and glared down at him. 

"Listen to me, Fox Mulder," she ground out. "I don't want to do this, but you 
have to understand. I WILL keep you cuffed until the trial date, if I have 
to. You're not going back to Washington tonight or any time soon."

"YOU'RE BEING FUCKING RIDICULOUS, SCULLY! LET ME UP!" he shouted up into her 
face, rage taking over. She jerked away at his yell and almost got away. 
Winding his leg around her ass, he pulled her down until she was flush 
against his body. If she wanted to restrain him, she had better get used to 
being restrained herself. No way was he going to let go. 

"You're insane, Scully. Let. Me. Go."

"No damnit, Mulder! You will NOT ditch me on this!"

She squirmed and fought against him, her slippery pajamas sliding over his 
bare chest, and the moisture of her sweat beginning to seep through. She came 
close to slipping away more than once. Her breasts slid over him and he 
suddenly could feel the intense sensation of her hard nipples rasping against 
his skin. She moved over him and gasped out in frustration. Mulder was 
battling his hold for all he was worth. His anger, so powerful and firmly 
directed at her just a second ago, fled as he felt himself responding to her 
warm, soft body moving over him. Jesus, she felt good. He stilled and let her 
continue fighting in an attempt to disengage his grip. He held her tight and 
almost convulsed with shock when her struggling pelvis pressed firmly onto 
his now hard cock.

He hated that he could respond so quickly to her like this. Granted, he had 
been half turned on from the moment she had walked into the room, sans robe. 
Scully finally stopped moving and simply lay panting above him. Her skin was 
flushed pink and the friction generated had caused the heat between them to 
increase to an almost unbearable level. Sweat beaded on her upper lip and the 
top two buttons of her pajamas had come undone, opening up even more of her 
skin to scorch his chest.

"Let me up, Scully. You're acting like an idiot." His voice was a husky 
growl. He had to stop this. This couldn't go on any longer, it was like too 
many of his fantasies. Of course, in his fantasies, their situations were 
generally reversed.

Mulder's body felt so incredibly hard underneath her. He was looking at her 
and she could see his anger had changed into something else. Something 
frightening. Something that made her grow wet to see it. His hips were 
grinding into her in an almost reluctant manner. She could feel his cock; 
huge and hard, rubbing her just above her throbbing sex. She wiggled on him, 
her greedy pussy aching for friction. What the hell was she doing? Her 
partner looked like he was almost pushed over the edge. He was so turned on 
his eyes were literally throwing sparks at her. The passion she saw was 
amazing, and terrifying. Never would she have expected it to be directed at 
her. Never could she expect her response to it. A fire was taking over her 
limbs. Her lungs could barely draw in air. She had to end this now, before 
she forgot their friendship, forgot their partnership, forgot everything and 
ate him alive.

"I'll let you up," she began in a shaky voice, "only if you swear to me that 
you won't ditch me until this thing is worked out." Mulder licked his lips 
and she found she couldn't take her eyes off of them. Full and moist and so 
very enticing, she licked her own and fought an acute desire to lean down and 
taste him. That's all it would take, one kiss and she would go mad.

His voice when he spoke was soft and husky. "I won't ditch you, Scully. At 
least, not tonight."

She was getting desperate. His body had shifted and his cock was now pressing 
directly into her at her softest, and now, wettest point. She could see the 
gleam in his eye when he pushed up into her. He knew exactly where he was 
stroking her. She'd be lucky if she didn't soak the front of his slacks. 
Scully bit her lip and whimpered. She wanted him inside her. She wanted to 
ride his cock until he screamed. She mustered up all the resolve she could. 

"Not good enough. Promise me for at least a few days."

He hated making a promise, but if she didn't get off him soon he wouldn't be 
able to stop himself. It would only take a few motions to tear off her pajama 
pants, whip his cock out of his pants and bury himself so deeply inside her. 
Did she think he was made of stone? Christ! Her hips were mashed so firmly 
against his cock that he was afraid to move, less he come in his pants.

"Two days, Scully. I'll play it your way for two days, then I'm out of here," 
he whispered.

He loosened his grip and she jumped off him so quickly, he was left gasping 
for air. She left the room in a hurry and he was about to bellow for her to 
get her ass back in here, when she rushed back in with the key and unlocked 
the handcuff from his wrist.

With one hand holding her pajama top together, she avoided looking him in the 
eye and walked quickly to her room. He just glared at her back and unlocked 
the cuff from the headboard. She stopped at the connecting door, one hand on 
the doorknob, one hand holding her shirt. He could hear her panting breaths 
from across the room. 

He stood by the bed and silently fumed. By God, she had started this. He was 
too angry to see it any other way. In the light coming from her room he could 
see her body clearly outlined through her thin pajamas. The dark circle of 
her tattoo was clearly visible and he felt his cock twitch and leak into his 
pants. "Fuck!" he ground out. He had never been this mad at her and so 
embarrassed that she could push him to this point.

"Mulder." Her voice was so soft he barely made out the words. "I'm sorry.  I 
didn't know how else to... I'm sorry." She then walked through the door and 
shut it firmly behind her. 
 
Mulder paced the room and tried to relax. He felt wired. Every cell in his 
body was alive and humming. He finally gave up and undid the zipper of his 
pants. It was cutting into his hard rod painfully and it didn't show signs of 
calming down any time soon.

He could hear Scully moving around on the other side of the wall. In a fit of 
frustration, he threw the handcuffs across the room. They hit the adjoining 
door with a satisfying crash. She had stepped so far over the line tonight he 
didn't know how to handle it. Her quiet apology wasn't enough. Not when he 
was so hot and aroused that he wanted to bang down the door, rip off her 
stupid pajamas and fuck her half to death. She had messed up everything. All 
the years he had kept his hands off her for the fucking cause. 

How in the hell was he supposed to pretend this had never happened? He knew 
her well enough to know that would be exactly how she'd deal with it. She had 
wanted to make him play things her way. Well, he'd play along. Just until he 
had figured out who that damn Gates was working with. Then he'd go back to 
Washington, with or without Scully, and kick some serious butt.

He flopped down on the bed and tried to think over the whole arms smuggling 
thing. But it was no use. He smelled like her. Lifting his arm up to his 
nose, he sniffed her scent off his skin-that soft smell, so warm and spicy. 
Her arousal had been so evident his mouth was watering. He closed his eyes 
and let his hands drift down his body picturing how she had looked standing 
at the doorway, panting. Her body was so clearly outlined under thin satin, 
with her tattoo so visible. He ran the heel of his hand slowly down his hard 
cock, impatiently tugging down his pants to grip it in his fist. His cock 
leaked and throbbed in his hand. Let her walk in on this, he thought. Let her 
tattooed ass come back in and see him stroking his cock just for her.

Her fucking tattoo.

He had long ago given up feeling guilty for the thrill he got thinking of it. 
All the guilt he could possibly conjure up had been bleached away after too 
many nights of sleeping alone. Too many nights of relying on his hand to ease 
the constant stress and tension of no sex.

And the manner in which she had gotten the tattoo was a very reliable stress 
buster.

Not that it had been initially. At first he had been furious that she had 
exposed herself to such danger. Bitterly angry that she had screwed a total 
stranger. Just found some freak, got drunk, tattooed and casually laid.

How unprofessional, how stupid, how totally fucking sleazy can you get? And 
how hard he jacked off at the thought of her acting that way. It pissed him 
off and he didn't EVEN try to analyze it.

Shouting crude comments at her had been easier. Being an asshole to her and 
taking the high road about his own indiscretions was so much more in keeping 
with his personality. Much easier for a guy who keeps porn in his office desk 
in case he needs to shoot off a round on his lunch break.

If she hadn't gotten sick, he would have lost his mind eventually. Pinned her 
against the filing cabinet, ripped off her clothes and taken a peek. After he 
had looked his fill, a very hard and probably fast fuck against the cold 
metal would have followed. 

Mulder could hear her tossing in her bed. The walls were fairly thin and he 
closed his eyes, trying to ignore the sound. It was easier to jack off while 
fantasizing about Scully when he was pissed off at her. Some deep part of him 
wanted to punish her, but his tender feelings about her would never allow him 
to physically harm her. Fucking her in the hardest, nastiest way possible, in 
his mind was better. She couldn't get angry, she couldn't fight back and she 
did nothing but beg for more.

He pictured her there, on the bed on her hands and knees. Soft and submissive 
while he took her from behind. She would gasp and plead with him for more as 
he clutched her hips firmly in his hands, and admired her sweat slicked body 
stretched out before him.

Mulder began to jerk his cock roughly. So close to exploding, he was arching 
his back and moaning loud. In his dream, Scully was moaning louder, crying 
out for release as he pounded his cock in her, faster and faster. He'd leave 
her sore and bruised and he didn't care. Leaning over her back, he would bite 
down on her shoulder and leave a mark on her pale, soft skin. 

Mulder jerked his hips up off the bed and his body erupted with his orgasm. 
His hot cum trickled down his fist and his mouth moaned her name.

re·gret 
Pronunciation: ri-'gret
Function: verb
1 a: to mourn the loss or death of b: to miss very much
2: to be very sorry for <regrets his mistakes>
Intransitive senses: to experience regret

Scully didn't hear his moans. She was too caught up in her misery to pay 
attention to any noises coming from his room. As soon as she had retreated to 
her room, she had paced the floor, battling shame and wishing she had tried 
another tactic. She was on the verge of returning to his room and trying to 
talk it out with him, when he had thrown something at the connecting door. 
Giving him more time to cool down seemed the wise thing to do. 

So she had splashed some cold water on her flushed face and crawled into the 
cheap motel bed. She had tried to sleep while banishing from her mind how he 
had felt moving under her. Ignoring the burning ache that lingered between 
her legs and her almost overwhelming need to find release. She thought it 
would abate with sleep and had tried so hard to relax, but she could still 
feel him and smell him on her skin. It was hours before she fell into a 
restless slumber.

Her dreams, when they finally came, were wild and erotic. Mulder moving over 
her, under her and deep, deep inside her. With the sounds of his low moans 
rumbling through her body.  Waking to find her hands touching her body was 
not a surprise. She merely rolled over and put her hands under her pillow. 
She wouldn't allow herself this. In some small way, she had to atone for her 
sins. 

Lifting her tousled head up off the pillow, she looked at the clock and 
groaned. Only 2:00 a.m. Way too early to get up and talk to him. She strained 
her ears but heard only silence coming from his room. Not even the usual 
sound of his late night TV viewing could be heard. Silence.

The lack of noise caused her to panic. Jumping out of bed, she quickly 
crossed the room and silently opened the connecting door. She breathed a sigh 
of relief when she saw him, in the dim light, sleeping heavily. The sheet was 
twisted low around his waist and she could just make out a fine sheen of 
sweat covering his bare torso. He looked so sensual and tasty sprawled out in 
front of her. In a different world she would walk over and slip into bed with 
him. Drape her body over his length. A MUCH different world. Despite her 
response to him earlier, she had to maintain their professional relationship. 
She hoped that she hadn't destroyed everything with her impulsive act. She 
just had to make him see how serious she was about protecting his life. But 
it was obvious that force wouldn't help. She should have known that to 
control Mulder she needed to act with a little more stealth. 

More stealth. Scully laughed to herself quietly at the thought. She had 
behaved with as much finesse tonight as a hooker at a debutante ball. Mulder 
needed to be played gently. Appeal to his intelligence, she chided herself. 
Make him want to stay safe. He had wanted to go and see the Markossee lights 
for quite a while. Even told her he was planning on taking some leave time to 
go see them when Skinner had black balled his request. Somehow she had to get 
him interested again. She remembered the boyish excitement he had displayed 
while he told her about them. If she could just tap into that again, maybe 
she could keep him safe. The Markossee lights would get his mind off things. 
Get him lost in the chase and the wonder that he never failed to express when 
faced with the unknown. She really had no other options.

She stood quietly over him. The light shining through the heavy hotel drapes 
gleamed off his body. She studied with fascination the faint sprinkling of 
soft hair that covered his lean chest and allowed her eyes to travel down to 
where the hair disappeared below the sheet. She examined the outline of his 
cock while fighting curiosity that made her want to reach down and tug the 
sheet lower. Oh, she'd seen it before-glances of a naked Mulder. But she'd 
never felt it. Not like she had tonight. Hard and insistent, humping against 
her pussy like they were two sex-starved teenagers on a date. Her body 
shivered at the memory. Her fingers reached up to absently caress her 
nipples. They stood to attention, aching for a bolder caress. She leaned in 
closer to Mulder and the smell hit her. His cum. She knew that smell. That 
tangy, musky odor that made her gasp with recognition. Mulder had jacked off 
after she left the room. She had pushed him so far that he laid back, took 
his cock in his hand and stroked himself off. She could see him in her mind. 
His long, lean body stretched out, writhing with passion as he brought 
himself to climax thinking of her. She refused to think he had thought of any 
one else.

Moisture pooled between her legs as she stared at him. She was having trouble 
breathing. All she could smell was his cum. All she could picture was it 
shooting out of him, hot and creamy.

She took a silent step back. Her nipples felt painfully hard as they chafed 
against her pajama top, forcing her to bite back her moans. Slipping her hand 
furtively under the elastic of her waistband, she shook off all good sense 
and parted her curls with one seeking finger. There was an electric shock 
when her finger brushed over her very swollen clit.  Her finger slipped 
further down and collected the wetness dripping out of her. With her finger 
coated, she returned to her clit and swirled her finger around it. The direct 
stimulation forced her to emit a soft gasp from her lips. She watched Mulder 
sleeping, his breaths even and regular. His hands twitched in his sleep and 
she could picture them clearly stroking himself. Roughly, softly, however 
felt good with his head thrown back and his body straining while he jacked 
himself hard. Scully's fingers danced over the sensitive bundle of nerves, 
feeling the buzzing of her orgasm building. Spreading throughout her body. 
Her breasts were swaying to her slight movements. The sensation was only 
bringing her closer and closer. She softly moaned Mulder's name as an intense 
orgasm crashed through her. She bit her lip to keep from screaming, and tried 
hard not to fall to the ground in a heap. Her hips jerked and bucked at the 
incredible pleasure as she rode out the ongoing feeling.

Looking down at Mulder who was slumbering peacefully, she stood perfectly 
still and caught her breath. She gave him one more longing look before 
withdrawing fingers sticky with her juices and backing quietly out of the 
room. Her body felt hot and over sensitive. Her mind foggy from her orgasm, 
she climbed back into her own bed and shut her eyes. Oddly she could feel no 
shame. He used her to get off and now she had returned the favor. Somehow she 
didn't think he would mind. Although he may want to interfere, she thought 
with a sleepy chuckle. Jesus, that man! She had to keep him safe. 


per·suade 
Pronunciation: p&r-'swAd
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): per·suad·ed; per·suad·ing
1: to move by argument, entreaty, or expostulation to a belief, position, or 
course of action
2: to plead with: URGE

 
Scully knew she had crossed the line. Trying to use brute force and 
aggression to control Mulder had been a huge mistake. One that had backfired 
in a way she still had a hard time believing was possible. All she could hope 
for was that it wouldn't interfere with their relationship once he forgave 
her.

If he ever forgave her.

She was beginning to doubt that he would. His coldness this morning was 
almost too much. As she pulled out of the motel parking lot, heading south on 
95, she cast a discrete glance over at her partner. He sat buckled into the 
passenger seat as calm and relaxed as if they hadn't come within one touch of 
fucking each other's brains out just ten hours ago. Mulder was reading the 
paper she had bought for him as a peace offering while sipping on his coffee. 
His body language was so casual and blatantly indifferent to her presence 
that she began to get angry. 

Deep in thought, Scully chewed her bottom lip and pushed away her lingering 
embarrassment. Instead she focused on how guilty she'd felt. And for what? So 
that he could rub her nose in it all the way to Florida? As if he had never 
made a stupid mistake in his whole pathetic life! Fox Mulder, boy in man's 
clothing. She wanted to reach over and shake him until his teeth rattled.  
She took a deep breath and was about to let him have it when her eyes glanced 
down at the front page of the paper. 

"New York judge's murder rumored to be a Mob hit," read the headline.

Jesus! Scully thought and gripped the steering wheel tight. Organized crime 
was alive and well in the US of A. Killing Mulder would be nothing compared 
to that! If organized crime could so easily 'off' a circuit court judge then 
her wonderful, lovable partner was no more than an annoying bug to be 
squashed under this guy Gates' foot. And he WAS lovable - present behavior 
not included. She needed to focus on all the times he had been there for her 
and not on this silent, self-righteous asshole sitting next to her. 

As they drove south in silence, Scully tried to think of something to say 
that would break the ice. An apology was in order and even though she might 
choke on it, she knew she had to be the one to give it. Gritting her teeth 
and putting all the sincerity into her voice that she could muster, she said, 
"ummm Mulder?"

"Hmm," he answered distractedly.

Scully deliberately relaxed her hands - they were gripping the wheel - and 
rushed on headfirst. "Mulder listen, about last night, I'm very sorry to have 
lost my temper like that. It was way out of line and I swear it won't happen 
again."

His casual hum of agreement while not even looking up from his paper raised 
her hackles. What the hell did he expect from her? Groveling? She angrily 
went back to concentrating on the road and let out a frustrated sigh of 
annoyance. It was a waste of time. If he wanted her to act the bad guy she 
would. She had apologized nicely, and now the ball was in his court.

Miles flew by while Scully steamed. She almost screamed at him when she 
finally heard his voice. "You're forgiven Scully."

"Hooray" she said dryly.

She looked over at him and tried to smile. He had a sheepish grin on his face 
as though he knew he had been pushing it to the limit. "But will you change 
your mind about going back?" he added.

Her shoulders slumped in defeat. Why couldn't he see how dangerous this was? 
"Mulder please," she pleaded, "please try and understand how worried I am. 
You promised me two days. I know it was under some duress, but I need to hold 
you to that."

Mulder let out a derisive chuckle. "Yes, Scully some mild duress."

She couldn't say anymore. She felt defeated by all of this. If he wasn't 
going to stand by his word then she could do nothing. They drove on in 
silence for a few more miles while ideas swam through Scully's head. Calling 
Skinner and having Mulder put under arrest seemed to be the only answer she 
could come up with. Him hating her for it was assured and that thought filled 
her with dread. Would she risk her friendship with this man to keep him safe? 
Yes! Whatever it took. She felt her eyes filling with angry tears at the 
thought. Whether Mulder saw her swipe them away quickly, she couldn't tell, 
but his next words eased her mind.

 "I'll stick by my word, Scully, despite the duress. You've got two days." 

Scully must be very upset, Mulder thought. Tears didn't come to her easily. 
He had watched her wipe them discreetly away and felt his first niggling 
sensation of guilt. Not so much over his desire to face this thing directly, 
because she knew that it was his way. But rather how he'd been sitting here 
quietly watching her mangle her own mouth. She did that when she was 
distressed: biting her lower lip and chewing off her lipstick. The effect was 
disturbing. Her already full lips ended up ridiculously swollen and red. That 
damn mouth would be the death of him. She'd lain half-naked on top of him and 
he had felt her body in silky outline. He'd smelt her arousal and felt her 
panting breaths wash over his face. But those lips had alluded him, just as 
they always did.

Mulder squirmed in his seat. The last thing he wanted was for her to see him 
sitting there with a hard-on. He had managed to hide ones in the past from 
her well enough. Or at least he always thought he had. Scully obviously 
wanted him to drop it, but he just couldn't. The sexual tension from the 
night before still hummed through his body.

"I was surprised though when you came through my door in pajamas and not 
leather." Scully looked at him and he was gratified to see her blush.

"Very funny, Mulder." 

"I never thought of you as a dominatrix before, Scully. But somehow it fits. 
I mean, you do carry a gun and all."

She was watching the road and he could tell she was doing her best to ignore 
him. Mulder shifted in his seat again when she attacked her lower lip. That 
mouth, Jesus! "Leave your dog collar at home?" he calmly teased, while 
watching her grip the searing wheel. This was getting fun.

"Forgot to pack your whip?"

"Mulder please cut it out," she hissed through her teeth.

"Sorry, I shouldn't speculate on your sex life Scully. You're right. To each 
their own." He sat there and smugly watched her red face. She had finally 
laid off the lip. Maybe he should offer her some Chap Stick, he thought with 
a silent chuckle. Or maybe he should offer her something else to chew on 
proffered his darker side. Something big and hard that was practically 
pointing at her mouth this very moment. 

He laid the newspaper over his offending member. This line of teasing was 
going to end up hurting him more than her. They had miles to go and the 
thought of taking care of his problem in a dirty truck stop bathroom wasn't 
very appealing. Besides, Scully was starting to look pissed and he was about 
to destroy her pretty apology. 

He banned himself from looking at her mouth, and instead gazed out the 
window. Once he felt more in control of himself, he asked, "So we're off to 
see the Markossee lights?"

"Why don't you tell me about them," Scully said, in a slightly over-eager 
voice.

Mulder looked at her with faint annoyance. "Scully, I did tell you about them 
just last week."

Scully remembered his 'briefing'. He had been pacing around the office with 
his jacket off and his shirtsleeves rolled up. His glasses had glinted in the 
fluorescent light every time he had looked over at her to press some point. 
Wanting to run her hands through his unruly hair was about all she could 
remember. Well, that and a slightly embarrassing fantasy that involved the 
file cabinet, his bare ass and the stapler. 

"Weren't you listening?"

Scully tried to look as if she was concerned about passing the car in front 
of her and mumbled, "Ummm some. How about just refreshing my memory?"

Mulder gave a long-suffering sigh, but then happily retold his story. She 
wanted so badly for them to work together on this. The safe haven of their 
partnership was the only thing that would ease the tension of what had 
happened the night before. Mulder must have sensed it too. He went from a 
self-righteous, teasing asshole to enthusiastic partner as he spoke.

"The Markossee Lights have been reported in the area for over a hundred 
years. The first recorded sighting of the lights was by a rancher named 
Captain Majors in the late 1800s. The lights are said to appear as a white, 
glowing orb that sometimes changes to red. It is also said to occasionally 
break off into two smaller lights that bounce around in the sky, then vanish 
and re-appear.  The lights usually occur after a hot day with a sudden cool 
evening, showing up before sunset till after one am."

Scully felt the need to interrupt. She may be willing to play along to keep 
him distracted, but old habits die hard. "Is there a near by highway by any 
chance?" she said, throwing him a skeptical look.

Mulder seemed pleased at her question and answered patiently. "No, the area 
is very remote."

"Numerous theories have been thrown around to try and explain the lights: 
campfires, phosphorescent minerals, swamp gas, static electricity, ball 
lightning, St. Elmo's Fire. Nothing could be proven, of course."

"And your theory is?"
 
"Either navigational lights for UFOs, or ghosts lights."

Scully couldn't suppress a bark of laughter at his confident response. Her 
partner was so crazy. Cute, but crazy. Mulder was giving her a slightly hurt 
look that she knew was pure bullshit. He crossed his arms over his chest and 
came back with, "the good thing about the Markossee lights is that few people 
seem to be interested in them. That's why I wanted to go and see them so 
badly. Virgin territory, Scully, we're going to virgin territory." She 
chuckled softly and just shook her head.

Mulder then began to dig through the file. As he pulled out a notepad and 
started to jot things down, Scully relaxed and concentrated on driving. She 
felt as though a great weight had been lifted from her. He was into it. And 
with Mulder interested, she wouldn't have to worry that he would ditch her 
and run head first into danger.

be·guile 
Pronunciation: bi-'gI(&)l
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): be·guiled; be·guil·ing 
1: to lead by deception
2: HOODWINK
3: to engage the interest of by or as if by guile
 
 
"Welcome to Markossee, Florida" read the sign. It was late in the afternoon 
and the fall Florida sun was still blazing. Markossee, according to the 
chamber of commerce booklet, was a town of only 105 people. That a town so 
small even had a Chamber of Commerce was a fact in itself that raised 
commentary from both Mulder and Scully. The original town had been a thriving 
citrus area, destined to become a farming giant that would give cities like 
Apopka and Zellwood a run for their money. Unfortunately, a freak freeze had 
occurred in the late 1920s, ending any possibility of prosperity for the 
area. Overnight temperatures had dropped to the teens and when the sun rose 
the temperature had risen so quickly that it was reported the trunks of the 
citrus trees had burst from the pressure. The only people left ten years 
later were a few impoverished landowners.

Markossee was too far away from Disney World to attract tourist. It was too 
homely to attract locals and committed what was tantamount to an unpardonable 
sin for any small, Florida backwater town: it had no antique shops. 

In fact, besides Majors' country store and the very run-down Majors' bar, the 
only other businesses they saw were three used car lots. Majors' fine used 
autos, Majors' budget cars and Majors' buy-here pay-here. "Ah, it's THAT 
Majors'," Mulder announced, "the used car dynasty Majors'." 

They pulled into the surprisingly named, Majors' Motor Court and walked into 
the run-down office, only to stop speechless when they saw the man behind the 
counter.

He was the tallest black man that the partners had ever seen. He looked to be 
close to 8 foot tall and was so large it was like standing at the base of a 
huge oak tree. Even Mulder had to crane his neck painfully to look the man in 
the face. Take a few years off this guy, and he could show the world that 
Shaquille O'Neal was nothing more than a short, ugly wimp. Adding to his 
strange appearance, the man wore a long black frock coat that ended in a 
tattered hem at his knees. 

Mulder threw an amused glance down at his partner. This town seemed to be an 
experiment in the bizarre. Lights, giants and all these used cars.

"How can I help you folks?" the giant's voice rumbled pleasantly. Mulder 
distractedly pulled his badge out of his pocket when Scully pushed his arm 
out of the way and strode up to the counter.

"We would like to rent two rooms for the next few days. Adjoining if you have 
them, please."

The man beamed pleasantly down at her and placed an old, tattered guest 
register in front of her. Mulder slid his badge quietly back into his pocket 
and watched the play being acted out before him. Scully was a pathetic 
actress. Their few undercover assignments had proved that. However, she was 
doing a great job of explaining to the desk clerk that they were just friends 
passing through town who had heard about the Markossee lights and had stopped 
to see them. 

"Let me get you some coffee," the tall man said to Scully. "And I'll tell you 
all I know about the lights." While he poured them both a cup of coffee from 
a pot simmering behind his desk, the man introduced himself as Colonel Majors 
and told them his tale in a voice far too gentle for a giant.
 
"My family has been in Markossee since the late 1800s," he began, while 
leaning on the desk and holding up an assortment of sweeteners and creamers 
for them to add to their coffee. Mulder stepped forward and took a sip from 
his cup while Scully leaned her hip on the desk and looked up into the tall 
man's face expectantly. "It was my great granddaddy that first spotted the 
lights, one night while coming in from the groves. At that time Markossee was 
a large farming community. Citrus mostly. Long before the freeze hit and 
destroyed many families' hopes of making a living off this land. The Captain, 
as they called him, was walking on a ridge near here when he saw lights so 
beautiful that they took his breath away. He swore that they came from 
angels. And my whole family felt that it was a sign that they had finally 
found land that would be kind to them. They were ex-slaves and granddaddy was 
convinced that the angels were telling him that this would be their own 
private heaven on earth; that their journey was at an end and they'd found 
what they needed."

"Of course the freeze changed a lot of things," Colonel said with a sigh. 
"Most people left but my family stayed, still believing that the Captain's 
vision was true. Over the years, the lights have returned frequently. They 
never last very long, but always appear after days like these - a warm sun 
followed by a cool night." 

Mulder rested against the long desk and listened to every word. Colonel had a 
way of telling stories that held him in rapt fascination. His huge voice was 
soft and intelligent and his eyes traveled from Mulder's eyes back to 
Scully's, drawing them in.

"The past generation kept the lights to themselves," he continued, "but not 
me. If I'm going to make something of this town, we need to share what we 
know of them. And so I've told a few people and here you are," he finished 
with a shrug of his massive shoulders. 

"A mystical tourist draw," Scully said while looking up at him. Colonel just 
shrugged again and looked at her with sparkling eyes. 

"Come stay in Markossee at the Majors motor court, get drunk at the Majors 
bar and hopefully buy a used car," she added. The laugh Colonel gave them was 
a warm, deep baritone. "That was the basic idea, yes."

"Do you own everything in town, Mr. Majors?" Scully asked. 

Colonel nodded. Placing his large hands across his middle, he told them his 
credentials. Colonel Majors was more than just the desk clerk. He owned 
almost everything in town. He was not only Mayor of the town of Markossee, 
but was head of the very active chamber of commerce. He ran all the 
businesses in town with the help of a few relatives, spending his Friday 
nights serving bikers at his bar and Sunday morning acting as pastor of the 
Markossee freewill Baptist church.

"How do you find the energy?" Scully asked in amazement.

"Well," he answered looking pleased with himself, "Someone's gotta do it. 
This town could be a lot more than just a spot on a map. And I've always felt 
the lights could be the key. Call it 'speculative investing' if you like. 
I've invested in this town hoping that once the lights become a popular draw, 
it'll come back to life."

Mulder was fascinated. The guy was like a universe all to himself. Before too 
long Colonel had actually made Scully laugh with delight over his stories of 
life in a small, one-manned town. The sound of it warmed Mulder to his bones. 
Her laughs were so rare that he felt grateful to the large man for drawing 
them out of her.

Colonel was so pleased at their interest in the lights that he even offered 
them use of his truck to get to the viewing areas. Finishing their coffee, 
they finally excused themselves to get cleaned up and find some dinner before 
they went out. 

"The truck will be waiting out front when you're ready," Colonel said as they 
left the office. "And I'll draw you up a map." They thanked him and waved on 
their way out of the office. 

"Isn't the Colonel amazing, Mulder?" Scully said quietly as she followed him 
around to the trunk of her car to get the suitcases. 

"Not 'The' Colonel, Scully, just Colonel. It's not a military title, just a 
name," he returned in a teasing voice. He closed the trunk and his eyes 
locked with hers. She gave him a sheepish smile and he wanted to laugh at the 
faint blush he saw on her cheeks. She looked away quickly and they stood 
there for a moment not speaking. Finally, she absently shoved his room key 
into his hand and said, "Here's the key to the adjoining room." 

He had been dragged away from Washington against his will and brought to a 
strange town to see lights that, while interesting, weren't so important that 
he would have dropped everything to go investigate. He should still be angry. 
But as he followed Scully around the building to their rooms, his eyes kept 
focusing on her sweet ass that swayed slightly as she led the way. He felt 
like Beavis or Butthead because all that kept going through his mind was, 
'She said adjoining rooms. Heh heh!'  

com·pat·i·ble
Pronunciation: k&m-'pa-t&-b&l
Function: adjective
1: capable of existing together in harmony <compatible theories>
2: capable of cross-fertilizing freely or uniting vegetatively
3: designed to work with another device or system without modification; 

Full and feeling sleepy from the large meal they had enjoyed at Majors bar, 
the partners returned to the motor court just as the sun was going down. 
Colonel was waiting for them out front, with his large body leaning casually 
against an old blue pick-up truck. 

"You folks ready?" Colonel called out good-naturedly.

Scully walked up to him with a bright smile plastered on her face and said, 
"The dinner was wonderful, Mr. Majors. Please tell your mother that we 
enjoyed it." 

"I'll tell her just that. You know Mamas, they can never get enough praise 
for their cooking." Scully laughed and Mulder stood back and watched her talk 
with Colonel. The smile, if anything, was getting so bright he was worried 
Scully would blind the poor man. 

It was the most disgusting thing he'd ever seen. 

The man was just there to lend them his truck, not answer Scully's stupid 
questions about his family. When Colonel leaned in close to answer, Mulder 
felt the need to interrupt. They had to get going and he knew that if she 
started batting her fucking eyelashes at the guy, he would puke up all of 
Mama Majors' fine cooking. 

"Thank you for the use of the truck, Sir," Mulder said a tad too loudly. "Now 
if you'd point us in the right direction, we'll leave you in peace."

Colonel looked at him and flashed a puzzled frown before saying, "Well 
certainly, I've drawn you a map."

Mulder avoided Scully's stern look and took the offered keys and small 
written map. He scanned over it, noticing that the Colonel had marked out a 
large area.

 "Why is this area crossed out?" he asked the tall man. Mulder may have 
believed in many things, but any types of rules or omissions instantly 
aroused his suspicions.
 
"Well you can go to that spot. It's the best place to view the lights, but it 
belongs to old man Steifel," Colonel replied before turning to Scully and 
continuing. "Steifel don't take kindly to trespassers so I generally steer 
people away from it." Scully gave him another annoying grin that made 
Mulder's stomach turn. 

"We'll be careful," Mulder said in a flat voice.

Colonel looked off into the woods near the town and scratched his chin 
thoughtfully. "Maybe I oughta go too and just show you."
 
No way! Mulder thought. He had no intention of spending the evening with 
anyone but Scully. The bar had been too noisy to talk. She had sat across 
from him, daintily picking at the pasta salad she'd ordered and had said very 
little. He wanted to talk to her. She had dragged him from his home, 
handcuffed him to a bed and rubbed her sweet body all over him. He had more 
ammo to tease her than he had ever had in their lives together and he was 
more than prepared to use it. The last thing Mulder wanted was 'The' Colonel 
with them, screwing up his chances. He and Scully were going to sit out in 
the woods and enjoy the evening...together!

"That won't be necessary Mr. Majors," Mulder said quickly. "Just tell us 
where and I'll find it." 

Colonel threw him a look and said, "Well, if you're sure..." 

"We'll be fine. Thank you Mr. Majors." Mulder cringed even as he said the 
words. They had burst out of his mouth so loudly and so suddenly that he was 
certain his cheeks were reddening. Colonel flashed him a knowing grin and 
Mulder wanted to just curl up and die. He didn't want the man to think that 
scoring with Scully was what he had in mind. He just wanted to talk to her. 
Play with her. Maybe even investigate those lips a little. Hell, the night 
was young, right? Scully was looking at him with a wrinkle in her brow. She 
seemed to be contemplating his mood. Fortunately, Colonel stopped his own 
staring long enough to rescue Mulder from Scully's scrutiny. Grinning at 
Mulder, he clapped his hands jovially and said, "Well all right then. Just be 
careful and have fun." 

The Florida sunset was turning the world a warm shade of orange, as Colonel 
wished them well and gave Mulder a wink that made him groan. Fuming, Mulder 
motioned for Scully to climb into the truck and then followed her in. He 
turned to look at his partner as he started the truck. She sat calmly beside 
him with her hands folded in her lap. She had pulled on a pair of jeans and a 
tight tee shirt before they ate. Despite her casual garb, she looked like 
they were just going out on a case. 

Case, night together, way to get his mind off Gates, whatever. Mulder pulled 
out of the drive while wishing away the annoying butterflies that had 
suddenly attacked his stomach.


pan·ic
Pronunciation: 'pa-nik
Function: adjective
1:of, relating to, or resembling the mental or emotional state believed 
induced by the god Pan <panic fear>
2:of, relating to, or arising from a panic 


Mulder was following the directions on the Colonel's hand-drawn map closely. 
As they left the main road and followed the trail he had marked, Scully hung 
on to the door to keep from bouncing around the seat.  She gave her partner a 
covert glance and tried to figure out why he had acted that way around the 
Colonel.  He didn't have to be so rude. The Colonel was the politest man she 
had met in a long time. He was a true southern gentleman who was clever and 
industrious. It was rare that she met people like him. His offer to join them 
had been welcomed by her. She kept telling herself that it was just that she 
wanted to get to know the Colonel better. The fact that he made her so 
comfortable and that she really didn't want to be alone with Mulder was 
something she'd rather not examine too closely. 

The sunset was beautiful, turning the sky into a riot of dark red hues. A 
cool breeze blew across her face from the open window and she felt her 
spirits slump. The last thing she wanted was to sit beside Mulder in the 
darkened cab of the truck and wait for mysterious lights. All through dinner 
she had been forced to endure his teasing looks. He had toyed with her 
mercilessly while wearing a sly smile on his face like a mask. Not a word 
about the previous night had been spoken, but she knew that if the bar hadn't 
been so noisy he would have had a field day with the subject. No, she 
thought, as they pulled into a clearing off the rutted path, she was in no 
mood to share a romantic evening with her partner.

Mulder pulled the truck until it was facing due west and cut the engine. She 
was relieved when she looked around at the clearing and saw that it was 
anything but romantic. Scrub oak and palmetto bushes bordered the small, 
dusty patch. Piles of burnt wood signaling past bonfires dotted the area. 
Empty beer cans and trash were scattered everywhere. Looking out the window 
to her side, Scully almost choked when she spotted what looked a lot like a 
used condom hanging from a tree branch not five feet away. 

"What's that?" Mulder said, which made her immediately grateful for the cover 
of darkness. It could conceal her flush of embarrassment. "I think it's a 
condom Mulder." They were silent for a moment while they both looked at it. 
Scully fought off the bubble of laughter that was building in her chest. 
Biting it off, she said in her most authoritative voice, "It looks like your 
'virgin territory' has gotten laid."

Mulder made a grunting noise and leaned his chin on the wheel so he could 
look straight up into the sky. He was quiet for a moment before asking, "Want 
to get out and walk around?" 

"No," she answered. The night was getting chilly and she wrapped her arms 
around herself. Her eyes were staring straight out front. She could hear 
Mulder shifting around next to her. His jeans were making a squeaking noise 
against the vinyl of the seat. She willed herself to relax, after all, how 
many times had they sat like this, with no need to speak to fill the silence 
that hung around them? Too many times to count, probably. But this seemed 
different. She felt hyper-aware of every movement, every sound coming from 
his side of the truck. She couldn't take it any more.

"Mulder, you didn't have to be so rude to the Colonel like that. He was only 
trying to help."

Even in the dim light of the cab, she could see the sly grin return to his 
face. "You really dig 'The' Colonel don't you Scully. What is it, a latent 
respect for military authority left over from your childhood?"

She repressed the urge to haul off and slug him. "He's a gentleman, Mulder. I 
happen to like that in a man."

Mulder turned to her in the seat. His voice sounded hurt. "I'm a gentleman 
too Scully. Honest. Handcuff me to the steering wheel and I'll prove it." 

"Don't tempt me."

"You don't think I'm a gentleman?" Mulder asked after a moment of silence. 
His voice sounded way too serious considering his earlier banter. "Of course 
I do," she answered quickly, at which he visibly relaxed back into the seat. 
"You've just had a hard few days and this thing with Gates has you on edge. I 
know that and I'm sorry for my part in it."

They sat back and watched the night sky. Nothing seemed to be moving, neither 
lights nor anything else. With the exception of an occasional errant breeze, 
the night was still. She could hear Mulder's soft breathing from across the 
cab and felt normal for the first time since Skinner had ordered her to get 
lost. This is how it should be, her and Mulder waiting and watching for the 
unknown. A peace settled over her. They'd forget what happened the night 
before. Then everything would go back to normal. Status quo. Partners again 
with nothing else between them but a deep friendship. 

She should have known he wouldn't let it rest.

"Yup, Scully, it's been a hard few days." For some reason the word hard 
coming out of Mulder's mouth brought back the image of him lying on the bed 
with only a sheet covering him. And the forbidden, almost giddy sensation of 
awareness she had felt knowing he had touched himself after she had left the 
room. Stroked his cock. Thought of her and got himself off. Scully shifted on 
the seat and cleared her throat. 

"I've been tied up in knots over all this," he went on and she cringed at his 
words. "Full of tension." He had a wistful quality to his voice that sent 
shivers through her body. Did he really expect her to reply? 

"But trust me Scully, if you are ever in danger, if the situation is ever 
reversed, I won't hesitate to handcuff you to a bed."

A vision of herself being cuffed to a cheap hotel bed while her partner 
rutted on top of her came to mind. She was more aroused than she would ever 
admit. Mulder's words were teasing but his tone was husky. It was the same 
tone she had heard from him the night before.
 
"How much longer are you going to punish me Mulder? I need to know so I can 
plan my days around it," she retorted dryly. 

Mulder laughed softly. "Sorry. I'll stop. It was just wild, Scully. You gotta 
admit that." She could see where this was going. The psychologist in him 
wanted to dissect it, pull it apart and investigate her actions. She had to 
distract him fast.

"Well, where are these lights?" she said quickly. "The Colonel felt sure 
they'd be out tonight."

"Gee Scully, could 'The' Colonel have actually been wrong?" 

They were so caught up in their soft conversation that when a bright light 
shone through the back window, they jumped as if it were a loud noise. They 
jerked around in unison to look.

"Shit," Mulder said, "Busted." Behind them was no ghost light, no bouncing 
ball that danced on the horizon. It was the headlights of a car with an 
unmistakable blue bubble light on top.

"Mulder!" she hissed. "It's the cops. We shouldn't have come to this spot!"

Mulder gave her a 'well duh' look, reached for his wallet and said under his 
breath, "Looks like we won't be seeing the Markossee lights after all." 

With a flash of panic, she grabbed at the hand that was pulling out his 
wallet and badge. "No! Don't show him your license or your badge, Mulder. 
We're supposed to be in hiding. What if he calls it in? We can't risk ANYONE 
knowing where we are."

The cop car was pulling in behind the truck and she had no idea how to get 
them out of this. They could easily be traced to Markossee if the cop ran a 
check on their names. 

Mulder had turned in the seat and was staring at her. "Well, Scully. You're 
the one who's trying to master the art of distraction. Do something."

Her heart was racing and she was starting to feel frantic. "What? I don't 
know what to do!"

She could see Mulder's face splitting into a huge grin. She knew that look. 
An idea was forming in her partner's head and her first thought was...RUN. 
"Then let me take care of things," he said smiling innocently, before his 
hands reached over and grabbed her knees. In one swift motion she was flat on 
her back and looking up at the headliner.

"Mulder!" She barely had time to get his name out before he was covering her 
body with his own. His legs were hanging off the bench seat and his pelvis 
was lined up perfectly with hers. He hovered over her using his elbows to 
prop himself up above her face. "Shhh Scully, just play along," he whispered. 
She simply stared at him in shock. What the hell was he doing? "Gotcha," he 
murmured before his mouth descended upon her. 

She had been on the verge of yelling...something. She wasn't sure. All she 
knew was that her mouth was slightly open and he wasted no time taking 
advantage of that fact. His lips, so soft and full, pressed against hers and 
he immediately slipped his hot, slick tongue in to taste her. The shock of it 
caused her to freeze and forget any attempt to break free. His body covered 
hers completely and it seemed to suck the air right out of her. Normally she 
would have pushed a man off for doing this so quickly. She hated having a 
tongue introduced before she was sure she even wanted it. But Mulder felt and 
tasted amazing. She heard a tap at the window and tried to push him off, but 
he just kept kissing her. Cop? Behind them! Mulder, hello? She couldn't 
breath. He pressed in deeper and she began to return the kiss.

Mulder was devouring her mouth, his tongue twining with hers and pulling hers 
out to taste him back. Lights flashed in front of her eyes and she moaned 
with her last breath, hoping he would relent so she could breathe. Finally he 
pulled away, gasping for air, but not for long. He attacked her bottom lip. A 
groan escaped him as he suckled it in his mouth. His hands were traveling 
down her body and she felt her nipples harden as his warm palm fitted itself 
perfectly over her right breast. He cupped her breast, squeezing it gently. 
She arched into his hand knowing she should fight him, but completely unable 
to do more than try to increase the contact. The tapping had stopped and 
although she wanted to pull away and see if the cop had left, she knew Mulder 
wouldn't allow it. 

She had never felt like this. All of her past relationships with men had been 
about equality. She kissed and was kissed back. She had never felt this total 
domination before. The ridiculous thought that Mulder was ravishing her 
floated into her head. His body pressed her so hard into the vinyl seat she 
could feel his leanness with perfect clarity. He was completely aroused. His 
huge cock pressed against her and all the passion she had stored up from the 
night before came out with a gush of wetness. His hands continued their 
journey, tormenting every part of her that wasn't pressed flush against him. 
He was kissing her deep again. Stealing her breath.  His pelvis was grinding 
into her. She wiggled enough to open her legs a bit and give him freer access 
and they both groaned at the result. This was a lot more than just a way to 
throw the cop off. Just another couple getting it on in the woods my ass, she 
blearily thought. Mulder was dry humping her like a madman. Every other 
thrust was hitting her clit so hard it was almost painful, and with the pain, 
electrical sparks shot through her body.

The seat trapped one of her arms. The other gripped his shoulder, at first 
pushing away, but within moments it was pulling him closer. Mulder lifted his 
body up a bit and she gasped into his mouth in surprise when he attacked her 
breasts with more force. His fingers found her hardened nipples, poking up 
through her thin tee shirt and lacy bra. He pinched them firmly until she 
felt the lace cutting into them and a rush of juices pooled in her pussy. He 
wasn't gentle. His fingers pinched and rolled her nipples until her whole 
world was centered on the exquisite torture. He had her trapped. He was 
filling her mouth with his hot tongue, grinding his hardness into her 
dripping sex and tormenting her nipples until she felt she would explode. He 
was out of control. Totally mad for her. She had always suspected, somehow 
sensed, that just under the surface her partner had the ability to be so 
incredibly sensual and so powerfully erotic. She'd try and analyze this side 
of Mulder and its discovery later. Right now she was having trouble 
processing thoughts. She wasn't doing anything but reacting. She was opening 
herself up and letting him do her. 

Do her hard. Fuck her senseless.

Mulder pulled his mouth away and bit into her neck. His lips began travelling 
down to her breasts and she moaned and opened her eyes a crack to let the 
reality of Mulder's hard body on top of hers sink in. She looked straight 
into the eyes of a gray haired old man peering into the window.

Scully squealed and yanked Mulder's head away from her.

co·er·cion
Pronunciation: -'&r-zh&n, -sh&n
Function: noun: the act, process, or power of coercing
1: to restrain or dominate by force 2: to compel to an act or choice 3: to 
bring about by force or threat


Scully woke the next morning just as the sun was coming up. Dressing quickly, 
she walked over to the adjoining door and pressed her ear to it. She could 
hear the faint noise of a morning news show coming from his room, but no 
other sounds that might indicate that her partner was awake. Breathing a sigh 
of relief, she pulled on her windbreaker and slipped outside into the gray 
morning. She just needed a few minutes to herself to get over what had 
happened. It was cold, so she zipped up her windbreaker before starting to 
walk aimlessly down the street. Her mind was a riot of confused thoughts and 
cravings.

One moment she had been on the verge of fucking Mulder's brains out and the 
next she was trying to convince old man Steifel not to press charges. It had 
been probably the most embarrassing experience of her life. Even worse than 
handcuffing her sexy partner to a bed without expecting their libidos to go 
crazy.

Mr. Steifel was shocked to find his trespassers over the age of consent. 
After a few minutes of glaring and shaking his head at them, he had let them 
go with a warning. "You're both too old for such foolishness," he hissed. "Go 
on and get yourselves a room, if it's sin on your minds!" Mulder had been 
amused, but she had wanted to crawl under the truck and die.

A fine mist was falling and as Scully breathed in the moist smell of the 
Florida morning, she walked determinedly on. Her hands were clenched deep 
inside the pockets of her windbreaker and her face was lowered away from the 
moisture falling from the sky. She headed down the street that led out of 
town as if the distance between her and the motel could banish the way she 
had reacted to her partner.

She had almost let her partner do her in the cab of a beat up Ford! The 
thought kept creeping into her mind, repeating itself over and over again.

Holy Shit! Twice in less than 24 hours. She'd almost yanked his clothes off 
and fucked him right then and there in that truck in the middle of nowhere. 
They worked together for years with only mild sexual tension and now they 
couldn't keep their hands off each other. She had unlocked something with 
those damn handcuffs. And now it felt as if things were spinning out of her 
control. All he had to do was kiss her last night and she was spreading her 
legs and begging him not to stop. Granted, Mulder had only done that to avoid 
blowing their cover.

She needed to rethink this whole 'distract Mulder with a case' thing.

The ride back to the Inn, after Steifel had busted them, had been the longest 
ride of her life. Neither one of them could say anything. They both stared 
ahead at the road with eyes wide. The devil in her made her occasionally cast 
furtive glances down at the crotch of his jeans. He was still hard when they 
pulled into the inn's parking lot and got out. She dutifully kept her eyes up 
and away from the danger zone when they mumbled goodnight to one another and 
went to their own rooms.

Somehow she knew what she would find if she looked down.

Mulder must be huge! She had caught glimpses of him nude in the past, but 
this was different. She had felt him straining against his jeans. Her desire 
to reach out and stroke him was so strong her palms had itched.

"Well good mornin' young lady," a deep voice rumbled.

Scully looked up and realized she was standing in front of Majors bar. The 
Colonel was standing at the door holding a grocery bag in one massive arm.

"Did you and your friend get to see the lights?"

"No," she smiled at him as she answered. "Mr. Steifel found us on his 
property and kicked us off."

The Colonel chuckled. "Well, that's too bad. But don't let it stop you. If 
you try again tonight, I'm sure the lights will be out and hopefully, old man 
Steifel won't spoil your fun."

Scully could feel her face warming at his words. He COULDN'T know what kind 
of fun she'd been thinking about. Of course he couldn't. But she was sure she 
could see a teasing light in his eyes and his smile was so sympathetic she 
had to wonder.

"How 'bout a cup of coffee?" The Colonel opened up the door and gestured her 
to go inside. She had wanted to just keep walking. Numbly trod along until 
she had figured out what to do. Or just see how long it would take to 
actually walk all the way back to DC. Back to her old life where she didn't 
have anything in her mind remotely like the memory of how hard Mulder's body 
had felt over hers. But the Colonel was so warm and inviting. And even if she 
would never share with him what had happened to her partnership, he could at 
least be helpful in getting her mind off it.

The same morning news show she had heard from Mulder's room was playing on a 
TV above the bar. With the floor swept clean and the chairs neatly perched on 
the tables, Majors bar looked a lot more respectable than she would have 
imagined. She perched herself on a stool and looked around while The Colonel 
went behind the bar to pour them coffee. Her eyes fell on the only other 
occupant in the room and she turned back to her host with an amused look on 
her face.

"That's Charlie," he said softly. "He's my assistant. But just ignore him. 
He's not what you would call a morning person."

"Fuck you Majors," said the grizzled midget that sat watching TV while 
nursing his cup of coffee.

The Colonel shook his head and clucked his tongue at the small man before 
turning back to her. "See, he's very unpleasant for a little person. If he 
wasn't the best at what he did, I'd have fired him years ago." Scully bit 
back a laugh. Who else would a giant have to help him run his own town? They 
were the perfect match; big and small; friendly and obviously, well, not.

"So you were busted by old man Steifel, huh? I told your friend I should have 
gone with you. He seemed very determined to keep the party at two," stated 
the Colonel mildly while slowly stirring his coffee. He looked at her with a 
slight smile on his face and waited while she fixed her own cup and took a 
sip.

"Well," she answered finally, "we had a lot of things to talk about."

"You've know this fella a long time?"

"Years," Scully said with a sigh. The Colonel was looking at her like he 
expected her to continue and she had the sudden overwhelming urge to tell the 
kind man everything. She just had to stick with the cover story. "We're 
co-workers and best friends."

"Uh hmm," the Colonel said, and leaned in to hear her quiet words. His 
presence was relaxing. She felt comfortable just looking up into his warm 
brown eyes.

"Lately we've found ourselves stepping over..." Scully stopped and thought a 
moment for the right words. "Personal boundaries, I guess."

"Is that a bad thing or a good thing?" he asked softly.

Scully gave him a sheepish grin. "I'm still trying to figure that out."

The Colonel gave her a knowing smile. "Office romances are never a good idea. 
Just ask Charlie here. He was with the circus once and he fell for the Amazon 
woman. They tried, but things just didn't fit."

"Fuck off!" came a voice from the other end of the bar and Scully laughed. It 
was very easy to talk to this man and she felt calmer than she had been since 
Skinner had ordered her to 'get lost'.

"Of course," the Colonel continued, ignoring Charlie's profanity, "if things 
DO fit then it wouldn't be so bad." He looked at her thoughtfully. 
"Granddaddy always said that the lights were a sign of hope. A sign of 
homecoming and rightness, in fact. Why don't you give them another try? Go 
see the lights and talk to your friend and see if things fit." The Colonel 
reached out and touched her hand and for a moment she looked at it curiously. 
His hand was so much larger than hers was. It was larger than Mulder's even. 
"Go see the lights," he said again. All she could do was nod her head.

Slipping back into her room later, Scully took off her sweaty clothes and 
went in to turn on the shower. She thought she heard a thump next door and 
her hand froze on the knob. Mulder was awake, she was sure of it. The nervous 
flutter that clutched her stomach was ridiculous. Why should she be 
apprehensive about seeing him? Their parting last night had been very polite 
and partnerly. She had lain awake for hours, silently trying to come up with 
an excuse, any excuse to go into his room. Her head was buzzing from a second 
night of little sleep, but her body felt very alive. It was humming actually. 
Her breasts were ripe and swollen from Mulder's hands. She had told herself 
that she wasn't interested in what he was doing next door. The thought that 
he may be taking care of his little, well, rather BIG problem had never even 
entered her mind. At least not until after she had solved her own.

Scully determinedly turned on the water and got in. She couldn't have been 
wrong about his response to making out with her, she thought while she washed 
her body quickly. He had been very obviously aroused. Very, very aroused. She 
shivered even in the heat of the water coursing down her body.

The Markossee lights, she thought with a discouraged shake of her head. The 
Colonel could wax poetic all he wanted too, but this truly was a crock of 
shit. Mulder wouldn't be interested for long. In fact it seemed the only 
thing he was interested in was touching her.

She got out of the shower and dried off. Wrapping a towel around her body, 
she grabbed her cell phone to check in with Skinner. He answered with enough 
grumbling to let her know she had awakened him. Despite this, he seemed 
optimistic in regard to the chances of Gates cooperating. A few more days 
were all he thought it would take.  Scully felt a moment of panic at the 
thought. Mulder had only promised her two days and the first one was over. 
Technically he could leave this afternoon and what could she do to stop him? 
Skinner was telling her about how more evidence had come forward linking the 
FBI. In short, Mulder was far from safe. If the lights didn't get interesting 
soon, she would have to find something better to keep him out of DC.

Hanging up with Skinner, she sat down on the bed and stared at the adjoining 
door. She'd told herself that she would do anything. Scully licked her lips 
and felt the now-familiar hum begin in her stomach. 

Anything.


de·ter·mi·na·tion
Pronunciation: di-"t&r-m&-'nA-sh&n
Function: noun
1 a: a judicial decision settling and ending a controversy b: the resolving 
of a question by argument or reasoning

'If you don't like the weather, wait a minute.' Mulder had heard that said 
about a lot of places, but it was never truer than in Florida. Where as 
yesterday was cool and sunny, today was gray and damp. It was almost like 
being in DC again, Mulder thought as he wiped moisture off his face and 
watched his partner walk ahead of him. Scully had insisted that they look for 
evidence as to where the lights were coming from. So they had been walking 
the field behind Mr. Steifel's holdings for about two hours. So far all 
they'd managed to find were a few rabbit holes and one lazy box turtle.

Their embarrassment hadn't been as bad as he would have thought. He had 
answered the door to his room that morning still half dressed and asked her 
in casually. Just as if he hadn't humped her leg in the cab of Colonel's 
truck the night before. He'd sat on the bed and pulled on his shoes while she 
had gone on about how she wanted to handle the investigation. All that had 
been required of him was a few approving noises when she decided to check 
with the nearest library - while he talked to a few of the locals. He had 
been the model of professionalism and control. She had been impressed, and he 
could tell. The few times he'd been able to actually look her in the eye, he 
could see it.

The only time that he had let his casual, professional mask fall had been 
when they met in front of the motel after completing their tasks. She had 
looked up at him and said, "Are you hungry?" His eyes had flashed at hers and 
for a brief second he SWORE she was talking about what he thought she was 
talking about and his stomach did a flip. But sanity soon returned and he 
realized she had meant 'hungry for lunch'.

God was he hungry.

They had eaten a late lunch and now here they were, walking through this 
damp, moldy field in search of lights. As much as he wanted to see them, the 
Markossee lights had now lost all appeal. It was wet and miserable and Scully 
was acting as though she belonged in one of those rabbit holes. She was so 
jumpy that it looked like she would come out of her skin if he so much as 
touched her.

They made their way over to the cluster of trees they had parked Colonel's 
truck under and both silently leaned against the hood.

This was such a waste of time, Mulder thought, looking at his watch. One of 
them needed to end this somehow. What had his Dad used to say? Fish or cut 
bait? That's what they needed to do. Make some decision. Go back or stay? 
Going meant clearing up this thing with Gates. Staying meant...what? He hated 
to say the words. He knew she would be upset, but the ball was in her court. 
She had to decide. And if he was going to get to Orlando international 
airport in time to catch any flight back to DC, they had to go. He took a 
deep breath and said in a rush, "Scully, it's getting late. If we don't leave 
soon, I won't catch my flight."

"No!" Her cry sounded loud in the silence of the large field.

"No," she said more quietly. Her forehead was creased into a frown and she 
wrung her hands in worry. "You can't go yet. We haven't seen the lights. The 
Colonel swears they'll be out tonight. He says it's a perfect day for them."

Mulder sighed and rubbed his forehead. Why did she have to sound so 
desperate? Didn't she trust him to take care of himself?

"You can wait one more day can't you? Just one more and then we'll drive back 
together." Her voice was pleading.

Mulder looked down at her and saw with dismay that she was chewing her damn 
lip again. He felt the familiar bolt of heat shoot through him that always 
accompanied her lip mangling. But this time it was different. He had felt 
those lips with his own. Opened them up and tasted inside. He now knew how 
soft they were. He could feel his body betraying him while he watched her let 
go of her lip and absently run her pink tongue over them leaving them moist 
and full. His rational mind screamed that he needed to get back to Washington 
to try and catch Gates' accomplices. But the lusty part of his brain, the 
part that was aching for her wanted to stay and see where this led.

A niggling worry at the back of his mind told him that she might back out of 
all of this if he were to drag them both back. Back to DC would mean back to 
business as usual. Some part of him instinctively knew that she was willing 
to use sex to distract him. He should feel guilty, but he was so hot for her 
it just wouldn't gel. So many years of being partners had left him with an 
insight into her emotions - enough to know that she was as excited as he was. 
 And when he looked deeply, he could see that this turn of events might just 
be the answer to too many years of keeping their hands off each other for the 
fucking job. They would force each other to take the next step.

"Fine," he said softly. "We'll get one more look at those lights. DC can wait 
one more night." His voice had a husky quality to it that felt odd and 
exciting to his own ears. He watched as a slight shiver passed through his 
partner. The sky seemed to be clearing and a cool breeze ruffled the hair 
around her face. He watched her pink tongue slip out to wet her lips and 
fought the urge to reach down and wet them for her.


vac·il·la·tion
Pronunciation: "va-s&-'lA-sh&n
Function: noun
1: an act or instance of vacillating
2: inability to take a stand 

Mulder chose a different place to park than he had the previous night. He 
didn't want to risk being disturbed by Mr. Steifel. No, he wanted his partner 
relaxed and easy. In fact, the easier the better! So he choose a place on the 
Colonel's map of areas that didn't belong to any cantankerous old men. The 
sun had set and he could see a full moon rising. They had been sitting in the 
cab of the truck for a few moments already, facing away from the direction of 
the lights. 

This he had done on purpose. 

The blanket he had pulled from his bed and thrown in the back of the truck 
was also done on purpose. To be sure, it had been a while, but there were 
some things that any healthy male never forgot. 

One: They needed privacy. 
Two: He was too damn tall to make love to his partner in the confines of a 
truck cab.
And most importantly... 
Three: He wanted to make love to his partner more than anything he had ever 
wanted in his life. It was both thrilling and terrifying at the same time. 

"Mulder, you're parked the wrong way." 

"I know, but I thought we could sit back in the bed of the truck," he replied 
and turned toward her. Scully was looking at him like he had sprouted another 
head, with her eyes wide and confused. He knew he had to get her where he 
wanted her before she figured out what he was up to. And speaking of up, 
Mulder shifted in his seat and hoped she would look away so that he could 
adjust himself. His plan was to play it cool and the fact that 'little 
Mulder' seemed to have a mind of its own tonight would blow it.

Blow it. 

That mouth...

He had to get her back there quick.

"My back is killing me, Scully. Let's just watch the lights from the bed," he 
added quickly and swung the door open before almost throwing himself from the 
cab. He let the tailgate down and was spreading out the blanket when Scully 
got out and met him. 

"You'll get more lumbar support by sitting in the cab, Mulder." He ignored 
her and climbed up onto the bed. This was going to be a disaster. Lumbar 
support! Maybe it had been too long for him, but something told him that if 
he didn't play it cool, this seduction wouldn't last. He threw her what he 
hoped was a casual smile, held out his hand and said, "Come on Scully. Front 
row seats for the Markossee lights." She looked at his hand for a moment, her 
forehead wrinkled in thought. The moonlight gave her skin a soft glow. Just 
when he was about to nervously snatch his hand back, she placed her small one 
in his and he tugged her up to sit beside him. They settled in beside each 
other, both sitting with legs pulled up and elbows resting on their knees.

The silence stretched between them while Mulder thought desperately for 
something to say. Crickets chirped, the wind rustled the trees, and every bad 
come-on line that Mulder had ever used flooded his head until he wanted to 
burst out laughing. 

"So what's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?"

"What?" Scully answered.

"Nothing," Mulder mumbled and pulled his knees up further so he could rest 
his head on them. His shoulders shook as he chuckled at the whole situation. 
God knows what she thought of him, but mercifully she stayed quiet. The night 
was silent around them.

Do crickets' legs EVER get tired?   

The moonlight waxed and waned as clouds passed over head. Every thing around 
them had taken on shades of blue, one moment lighter and the next dark. 
Mulder willed himself to relax. He would simply say the first thing that 
popped into his head. At least that was what she was used to. 

"This feels familiar doesn't it?"

He sensed her turning toward him before she answered softly, "Yes, I guess it 
does. We have sat in the darkness waiting for lights before."

"I feel like I've been doing this my entire life." Mulder said and ran his 
hands over his face before continuing, "Always waiting for lights that don't 
always appear."
 
He sounded so sad that Scully leaned into him. She let her shoulder brush 
against his, her arms wanting to wrap around him. This was not a time to 
dwell on their mutual frustrations. She could have sworn that the blanket and 
his insistence that they sit in the bed of the truck signaled his desire to 
end their biggest frustration.

"I did this when I was a kid too, Mulder. Sat outside at night with a guy," 
she said in a teasing voice. "Of course, we were mostly watching submarine 
races."

Mulder's shoulders shook again as he laughed softly at her words. She watched 
him out of the corner of her eye as he sat up and leaned toward her. He 
rested his head against hers. His face was just behind her right ear. When he 
spoke, his warm breath ruffled her hair. 

"I would have loved to watch a submarine race with you."

He could feel a shiver pass through her body at his soft words. Scooting back 
until he was slightly behind her, he lifted his hand to hook her jacket with 
one finger. He pulled it slightly out of the way and buried his face into her 
hair with a sigh. His head lowered and he burrowed through the soft stands 
until he found her pale neck to press his lips against. Flicking his tongue 
out to taste her, his body shook at her responding moan. 

Scully pressed her small body back into his and let out a deep sigh that 
enflamed him. He had wanted her so badly for longer than he would ever admit. 
"Do you want me to stop?" he whispered trying to keep fear from entering his 
voice. 

"No," she croaked and he smiled against her neck. His hands pushed her jacket 
down her arms and he pulled her tightly against him. Her thin tee shirt 
molded itself to her full breasts. They felt hot in his hands as he cupped 
them. He could feel her nipples pebbling through the shirt and her thin lacy 
bra. "You smell so good, Scully, so sweet. Do you know how long I've wanted 
you? Do you know how long I've dreamed of this?" he groaned into her neck. 

Scully pressed herself back against him and didn't reply. She wanted to ask 
him the very same questions. But his hands were tormenting her breasts, 
finding her hard nipples and gently plucking them until she gasped. He let go 
and stroked them softly as if to soothe the delicious hurt. His lips nibbled 
at her neck and her body, wound tight with anticipation, began to unravel. 
She saw a light appear on the horizon. Small at first but quickly growing 
larger until it looked like a second moon in the sky. Mulder's lips nipped 
and kissed her neck and she felt a hum of pleasure course through her. Her 
body felt liquid as she became aware of his hardness pressing into her hip. 
He had his fingers under her tee shirt and had pulled it over her head before 
she even knew it. The air was cool on her skin, but Mulder was so hot beside 
her. His body leaned into her and his hands pushed her gently back until she 
was lying looking up at him and the light reflecting around his face. 

He moaned her name and his head descended upon her chest. His mouth opened 
over her tender nipples and tasted them through the fragile silk of her bra. 
The light danced before her and she moaned. Its color was turning from red to 
pink to white and back again to a deep shade of red. Mulder should be seeing 
this. His face was pressed to her chest and she knew he wasn't seeing 
anything but her. She tried to pull away from his touch, but he caught her 
nipple and nipped gently. 

"Don't pull away, Scully please. I want you so bad," he pleaded softly.

"But the light..."

Mulder didn't seem to hear. He covered her body with his own and slid his 
hand behind her head. His lips brushed hers, and distracted by his soft and 
warm mouth, she forgot about the light. He kissed her again, harder, his 
tongue demanding entrance. She slowly yielded to him, softening in his arms. 
Her legs fell apart and she could feel his hand working at the zipper of her 
jeans. His mouth devoured hers as she felt his fingers slip between her legs. 
Rubbing the heel of his hand over her pussy, she moaned and shuddered. She 
wanted him to bury himself hard and deep inside her before she exploded. She 
reached down to help him with her pants, but Mulder's fingers were there 
already. Fumbling and tugging.
 
The zipper gave. 

He shoved her pants down her hips, taking her panties with them. She looked 
up at the light as it danced above them while Mulder pulled the pants down 
her legs and, yanking her shoes off, pulled them free of her body. His face 
was pressed against her stomach. "Scully, God..." he moaned into her skin and 
she ran her hands through his thick hair. She was experiencing so many tender 
feelings regarding him that she was on the verge of tears. But Mulder seemed 
almost frantic to be on top of her, and inside her. He lifted himself over 
her and she opened her legs wide. She felt his hard cock brush against her 
swollen sex, gasping to realize he had already released himself from the 
confines of his jeans. She rubbed against him. Her fingers dug into his 
shoulders, clinging to the soft material of his shirt. He was making sweet 
moaning sounds deep in his throat. Every muscle in her body grew taut and her 
heart was slamming against her ribs as Mulder entered her slowly, giving her 
time to adjust to his size. He was holding back with a restraint she could 
feel in the coiled muscles of his arms. Then he sunk in fully, stretching her 
taut and then pausing to kiss her hard before pulling out and plunging back 
in again.  

He reached down and tilted her pelvis so that his next stroke would be even 
deeper. She cried out and clung to him, wrapping her legs tightly around him 
so that he couldn't get away. Mulder buried his head in her neck, gasping her 
name as he bottomed out inside her. She looked up at the light and let the 
sensation of his cock pounding in and out of her course through her body. The 
light seemed to mirror her pleasure, flowing and ebbing, like a tide rolling 
in and out. She clung to him as she met each thrust. The light became very 
bright, brighter than the moon - a sort of crimson red that she felt burning 
down into her very soul. She arched her back and pressed against his surging 
body. His hardness was pounding into her, splitting her wide open and letting 
the light flood through her. She expelled his name from her lips as she 
exploded into a million pieces of blazing red light. 

She held him close, gasping for air, while her body was racked with 
after-shocks. Mulder was clutching her tight as his body shuddered into hers, 
spilling himself deep inside her. His sweat-moistened neck was under her 
lips, and she kissed his skin while he shook, held her tight and panted out 
her name.

She watched as the light began to recede. "Mulder, the light..." she began, 
but he stopped her again with his kissing. 

"Love you," he mumbled into her mouth and covered her lips with his own. She 
lost herself in his kiss, only opening her eyes to see the light had faded 
away. 
 

[1]de·ci·sion
Pronunciation: di-'si-zh&n
Function: noun

1 a: the act or process of deciding b: a determination arrived at after 
consideration : CONCLUSION
2: a report of a conclusion
3: promptness and firmness in deciding 

Scully's room was the closest to the parking lot so by unspoken agreement, 
they headed there. Mulder had one arm holding her close as they walked 
inside. She yanked off her jacket and disengaged herself from his hands long 
enough to go to the bathroom and get cleaned up. While the water ran, she 
thought she heard Mulder's voice, but she was too caught up in her excitement 
to pay attention. She had felt him grow hard as she was kissing his neck on 
the ride back. A rush of pleasure and a surprising jolt of sexual power raced 
through her. Now he was distracted. And she had every intention of 
distracting his tight little ass for days!

Drying her hands, she looked at herself in the mirror. She was a mess and had 
never been happier about it in her life. As far as first time sex went, it'd 
felt about right. She smiled at her reflection and opened the door only to be 
grabbed and pushed up against the opposite wall. Mulder was flush against her 
body and his mouth attacked her neck before she could even protest. He kissed 
her under the jaw before his lips traveled down her throat. Their heat left a 
trail of fire in their wake. She felt the now-familiar shiver of response 
passing through her body at an amazing speed. 

"Scully..." he said in a husky voice. The whisper of his breath against her 
sensitive neck drew a low moan from her throat.

"Mmmmm what?"

"You're not using sex as a way to distract me from ditching you, are you?"

It took a moment for his whispered words to register. Her body felt like it 
was melting into the wall behind her. His lips continued to taste her neck 
while he waited for a response, nibbling and nibbling as his hands began to 
roam. Who would have guessed the man was so...so tactile?

"No Mulder, no. Don't stop." She shook her head slightly and gasped with 
pleasure when his tongue ran down it to lave the hollow of her throat. 

"Mmm hmm, I didn't think so." Mulder's voice was husky and he absently 
pressed his hardness into her stomach. "You'd never do that, would you 
Scully?"

Scully fought the urge to stiffen in his arms at his words. Distracting him 
was exactly what she was trying to do. It was a cheap trick and WAY beneath 
her. She should be honest with him, she always had. Scully bit her lip and 
cringed. She should be ashamed of herself. But his busy hands had slid under 
her bra and found her hard nipples. And, damn him, he was doing that plucking 
thing again. Pluck, soothe. Pluck, soothe.

Fuck honesty.

She didn't say a thing until Mulder nipped her collarbone hard enough to make 
her jump.

"Mulder!"

"Sorry," he mumbled into her skin and soothed the area with his tongue until 
she calmed.

Her arms wound around his shoulders, pulling him closer. Rubbing her cheek 
against his soft hair. He felt so large and warm against her. Her body was 
humming with her need. He pressed his hardness into her and she felt herself 
getting wet for him as his fingers continued to torment her breasts and she 
felt herself melting into the wall. 

Walking together, Scully being propelled by her partner's large body, they 
made it to the bed. Her breath came out in a whoosh when he pressed her down 
and fell on top of her. "Klutz," she moaned into his mouth just as he was 
covering it with his own. Mulder moved over her, bringing all her senses to 
life. The feel of his weight was so intoxicating that she reached for her 
shirt and yanked it off. Her bra gave way under her nimble fingers as she 
helped him to pull off his shirt murmuring, "Off, off." She wanted to feel 
all of him over her. The hair on his chest abraded her painfully sensitive 
nipples and she arched her body into his and moaned his name deep in her 
throat.  

Mulder tore his mouth away from hers and lowered his face to her chest. He 
dipped his head to suckle her and stabbed her nipples with his tongue. They 
were hard little points demanding his attention. He held her still with both 
of his hands pressing into the sides of her breasts and forced low moans from 
her throat with his tongue.

She was such a bad liar. His hands ran up the sides of her body, up her arms 
until he had her hands stretched above her. Liars needed to be punished and 
he knew exactly how to punish this one. He held her hands close to the 
headboard and gripped them firmly while he snapped the handcuffs into place. 

Her body stiffened and he chuckled into her chest, his laugh quickly turning 
to a moan as her lower body pressed against his straining cock in her effort 
to look up at her bound hands.

"Mulder?"

He ignored her and started to work on removing her pants. 

He watched her test the handcuffs by tugging at them. He bit back a laugh at 
her futile attempts. 

"Come on Mulder. Let me go."

He jerked her pants off her hips. 

"Look, I'm sorry about cuffing you the other night. It was a stupid thing to 
do."

He smiled down at her and stood up to pull off his clothes. Standing up 
straight when he was completely nude. He watched her eyes roaming over him 
and his body surged at the animal look on her face. Reaching down he took his 
cock and stroked it. Her eyes grew wide and she started to pant. 

"I need you distracted, Scully, before I tell you something." He continued to 
stroke himself, stopping only to rub the precum that leaked from the tip 
around the head of his cock.

"Skinner called. Apparently, you missed your six o'clock check-in where he 
would have told you that Gates' accomplice has been found and it's now safe 
for me to go back to DC."

"Oh..." Scully said faintly.

"Let's see," Mulder continued, lowering himself onto the bed. "Six o'clock 
was right about the time that you were fucking me to DISTRACTION, in the bed 
of Colonel's truck."

Bless her lying heart, she tried to look shocked, but he could see the 
twinkle in her eyes. "Whoops," she said softly. He growled and grabbed the 
pillow out from under her head and shoved it under her hips. "Someone needs a 
lesson in honesty between partners, Scully." 

She looked down at him and chewed her lip. "Maybe we should talk about this?"

He spread her thighs open wide. "Be quiet," he growled and his face lowered, 
his beard stubble rasping against her tender skin. 

"Quiet? Are you crazy? How can I be quiet?" she panted. He spread her apart 
with his thumbs and blew gently across her swollen sex. "Haven't you figured 
out by now that I make a lot of NOISE during sex?" she cried. Mulder laughed 
into her. He slid one long finger inside her and felt her juices leaking out 
around it. Her legs shook and he pulled them over his shoulders before 
attacking her with his mouth. She was crying out in seconds. He ran his 
tongue back and forth over her clit then stopped to press it deep into her, 
using it like he was going to use his cock. He tasted his cum leaking out of 
her and almost exploded against the sheets. 

He let her go suddenly to lift himself above her. Taking her thighs in his 
hands he pulled them up high until they were pressed against her chest. Her 
head was thrashing back and forth and she was moaning non-stop. Her pussy was 
lush and wet and completely open to him. Thrusting forward he impaled himself 
deep inside her. He then rocked back, all gentleness gone. He was plunging 
back into her soaking depths while she cried out with pleasure and fought 
against her bonds. She shouted his name and he could feel the amazing 
sensation of her bursting around his cock. Her skin was flushed and 
glistening with sweat and her hot pussy clutched him tighter than a fist. He 
had never in his life seen a more erotic sight than what he had brought her 
to: complete wanton abandon. She was like a pixyish slattern begging him for 
more. Her orgasm went on and on and he let go of all his restraint and 
exploded deep inside her, filling her full of his frothy cum before 
collapsing on top of her.

Epilogue 
ep·i·logue
Function: noun
1: a concluding section that rounds out the design of a literary work

Mulder was strangling her. She pushed the arm he had flung across her neck 
off and slid over to the side of the bed. Her partner didn't wake. He 
grunted, rolled over and snuggled into the spot she had vacated. The warmth 
that still lingered there seemed to calm him. Standing up, She groaned softly 
when her muscles protested. Mulder had proven to be the most incredible lover 
she had ever had. He had spent half the night fucking her into the mattress.
 
All that swimming he did really had paid off. 

Her arms and legs had been so weak and shaky from such amazing sex that she 
had been able to do nothing more than lie there and moan. Her mind was 
totally blissed-out from the sensation of him humping madly between her 
thighs; thighs that felt stiff and sore this morning. But she barely noticed. 
A warm humming was coursing through her tired body and she looked down at her 
sleeping partner not even attempting to hide her stupid smile.

He slept on so heavily that it would take a lot more than her departure to 
wake him. His hair stood out from his head, tangled from her fingers and she 
could see the thick stubble on his chin. It had grown more than the stubble 
that had left a faint burning sensation on her neck and between her legs. 
Scully touched both areas reverently while reaching for the clothes that he 
had torn off her and tossed to the floor. Pulling them on, she looked at the 
faint light filtering through the heavy drapes. It was early, but she wanted 
to see if the Colonel was in his bar. They'd be leaving as soon as Mulder 
woke and she wanted to say goodbye to the tall man alone. 

She felt the warm morning sun hit her face the second she opened the door. 
Slipping outside, she looked around at the bright, clear day. The clouds were 
gone and she could tell it would get hot. Hopefully by then they would be on 
their way back home - a prospect that she knew should bother her. But for 
some reason it didn't. They'd go back but nothing would ever be the same. She 
wouldn't let their work relationship get in the way of this new, more 
wonderful one. They'd deal with any problems just fine. 

She made her way down the deserted street to Majors bar. The front door was 
open, but when she stepped inside, she could see no one there. No enormous 
black man with kind, soft eyes and no Charlie, nursing a cup of coffee and 
telling his boss to fuck off. She stood in indecision for a moment and was 
about to walk out when she heard the sound of a loud motor out back. Leaving 
the bar, she walked around to the large empty lot behind it. The Colonel was 
there, standing by an aluminum warehouse, gesturing to Charlie who was riding 
an old Toro lawnmower. A wagon was hooked to the back of it and Scully stood 
and watched while Charlie pulled it into the warehouse and shut off the 
engine. 

A nibble of suspicion worked its way down her spine at the whole scene. It 
grew even stronger when she saw the men turn to look at her and then hastily 
leave the warehouse. 

"Well, hello there!" the Colonel said loudly with an over eager look on his 
face.

She'd seen that look before. The Colonel was hiding something. She ducked 
around his large side and gave Charlie a wide birth as she made her way over 
to the warehouse. The lawn mower clicked as the engine cooled and she looked 
down at the wagon before crossing her arms in disgust. She knew exactly what 
she was looking at. Two large spotlights lay nestled in rolled electrical 
cord. One had a thin sheet of tissue paper over it quickly solving the 
mystery of how the light she had seen had suddenly turned red.

Beside her, the Colonel cleared his throat. Giving him her haughtiest look, 
Scully said, "Speculative investing? Is that what all this is?" Colonel had 
the good graces to look embarrassed. It didn't last long though. His eyes 
sparkled with mischief and she watched as his lips curved into a small smile. 
With a slight shrug of his shoulders he said, "I'm just creating a draw to 
bring people to Markossee."

"So you made it up from the very beginning," she announced.

Colonel laughed. "Old Captain Majors, my great granddaddy swore he saw them. 
Of course he was sampling from his still at the time."   

Scully tried not to laugh. He was so unapologetic. His face was so boyish and 
happy that she couldn't hide her smile. Looking down at the odd lights, she 
shook her head and tried to figure them out. "How'd you do it?" she finally 
asked after failing to make heads or tails of them.

"A magician never reveals his secrets."

"A magician?" she laughed. "You're not a magician, you're a hoaxster."

Colonel bent down until he was close to her face. His pearly white teeth 
flashed and his grin was infectious. "Yes ma'am, a magician. Just like Walt 
Disney and any number of other developers who created allusions of paradise 
that still draw people to this state. The Markossee lights will be real to 
anyone who wants to believe in them." She sighed and looked away. How could 
she contest that? Where was the harm really? And The Colonel was wonderful. 
She had figured that out as soon as she met him. 

"They'll come here and have some fun. Stay in my motel, drink in my bar..." 

She interrupted him abruptly. "And buy a used car?" Colonel just smiled and 
shook his head. "No. They'll take their kiddies to my new water park as soon 
as I get it built." Scully burst out laughing. He really was too much. "And 
then in the evenings," he continued softly, "They'll park up on the soon to 
be developed viewing ridge and wait with expectation for the lights to 
appear. Maybe they'll talk about the wonders of the world. Maybe they'll 
discuss life and all its peculiarities. Or maybe," he said even softer, his 
eyes looking at her with a tenderness that she felt down deep into her bones, 
"maybe they'll just find someone who fits them to a tee." 

Scully could feel her cheeks blushing but didn't care. She wanted to laugh 
out loud at the joy she felt from his total brazenness. He was some man. 
Maybe not the perfect southern gentleman she had thought, but nevertheless, 
he was some man.

She held out her hand and let his large one engulf it in a warm handshake. 
"Good luck with your 'vision' Colonel. It's been a pleasure to meet you."

"You too Ma'am. And remember," he added as she turned to walk away, "If you 
ever are in the market for a quality used car, I'm your man."

Scully laughed out loud while she walked back to her room to wake Mulder. She 
needed to tell him about the lights. But as she slipped into the darkened 
room and stood over his sleeping body, she stopped. Mulder lay on his back 
with the sheet pulled up over his middle. His hair had fallen over his 
forehead making him look much younger than his true age. The bed was mussed 
with errant pillows dropped to the floor. She could smell the faint scents of 
him and her and what they had been doing all night which made her body grow 
warm again. In his sleep, Mulder turned and reached to her side. With a 
wonderful rush of emotions she realized he was reaching for her. Wake him and 
tell him about the lights, the Agent Scully in her insisted. But she shook 
her head at the voice and smiled down at his beautiful sleeping face. 

No, she told herself. Slip back in beside him and let him keep believing.

And that's exactly what Agent Dana Scully did.

End of story.

Authors note: The town of Markossee doesn't exist. Although it is based 
loosely on the town that my red neck husband has forced me to live in. The 
freeze really happened just as I've described and we do have way too many 
used car lots to be considered normal. Colonel Majors doesn't exist either. I 
have taken creative license and kicked the real klucker that rules my 
backwater town out and replaced him with something much more agreeable. The 
Charlie Pride character, however, does exist. I almost hit him with my car 
once. An experience that my son remembers fondly as the time the midget gave 
Mom the finger.  

I know it sounds pathetic, but then it takes all types of communities to make 
up the USA. And without people like myself, who are willing to stay in the 
small towns and lead the dull lives, this would not be the great country it 
is.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it! 

Thanks for reading and please remember feedback makes us all write harder.
Viceyy@aol.com