TITLE: Bittersweet Release (4 parts)
AUTHOR: adara
E-MAIL: adarafox@yahoo.com
CATEGORY: MSR. Lots o' smut. Angst.
RATING: NC-17
SPOILERS: Not a one.
SUMMARY: “Scully?”  One more whispered question. 
Slowly, unbelievably, she formed the words.  “Yes,
Mulder.  We’ll stay.”  She didn’t dare look at him. 
She barely heard him over the music: “Oh, Scully . .
.”
ARCHIVE: Sure, just let me know where it goes so I can
visit.  I’ll submit to Gossamer and Whispers of X
myself.
DISCLAIMER: This story is based on the characters and
situations created by Chris Carter, the Fox Network,
and Ten Thirteen Productions.  No copyright
infringements are intended.  The following work is for
the distribution and entertainment of fanfic readers
only.  
FEEDBACK: Oh please please please please! :-)
NOTES: I'm so grateful for all the feedback I've
received on this story. It thrills me to no end to
know that I made someone smile.  Thanks so much for
coming along for the ride!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Part 1
Friday evening - 9:35pm
Scoundrels nightclub

“How did I let you talk me into this, Mulder?”

“Easy, Scully, you just can’t resist a chance to prove
me wrong.  Even though you never have . . .”

Scully arched an eyebrow at him, taking a seat in the
chair he held out for her.  What a way to spend a
Friday night, she thought as she glanced around at the
intimately lit club.  Mulder had sprung this on her
last minute, just as she was beginning to envision
heading home for a late supper with some wine and then
a bubble bath.  And maybe even a bit more wine.  It
had been a long, tiresome week, and after slogging
through mountains of paperwork all she wanted to do
was shut out the world and forget that there was even
such a thing as an X-File.

Alas, it was not meant to be.  Mulder informed her of
a tip he’d just received on a case and even though he
really could have gone on his own, he pleaded and gave
her *that look* and she, as usual, was unable to
resist.  Whatever it was about this man that would
make her postpone her long-awaited night of
relaxation, Scully decided she’d better put her finger
on it and squash it once and for all.

She thought maybe she already knew. Scully had spent
years following this man, from long drives and red-eye
flights across too many states to count, to one seedy
motel after another, always chasing something. 
Chasing serial killers, Flukemen, and alien bounty
hunters.  Chasing answers.  Chasing the truth.  It was
frustrating and exhausting.  And frightening.  At
times, Scully wondered why she wasn’t cutting all her
ties to the FBI and running as fast as she could in
the other direction.  Away from it all.  And from him.

She she knew that he sometimes wondered that, too. 
But it was impossible.  Scully loved her job, and
somewhere along the way Mulder’s quest had become
hers.  His drive and his passion were intoxicating at
times, frustrating at others - and Scully couldn’t
help but hold on tight for the ride of her life.  She
believed in the work, and in him, even if the demands
of science made it seem otherwise.  So when her
partner would present a case to her, no matter how
ridiculous it seemed, no matter how late the hour, no
matter how much she realized she needed to get a life
outside of work, Scully would inevitably join in. 
Especially after Mulder gave her that grin of his. 
There was something . . . irresistible about it.

And, as long as she was being honest with herself, it
wasn’t so bad to be here with him.  Even if it was
work, it wasn’t all that often that she saw Mulder in
a more casual setting.  Maybe she’d even have some
fun.  Scully glanced around the club as Mulder looked
for a waitress; the long bar formed a semi-circle
around the lower floor, where they were seated. 
Tables covered the floor; there didn’t seem to be any
room for dancing.  Odd.  There was some sort of stage
in front of them, which was dark.  Perhaps you were
supposed to dance up there?  She’d never heard of this
place before; it was in a section of D.C. she didn’t
frequent much.  The club had just opened for the
evening and the tables were beginning to fill up. 
Since they came straight from work they didn’t have an
opportunity to change clothes, but now, as Mulder
scanned the room, he absentmindedly unbuttoned the top
two buttons on his shirt.  Scully watched his long
fingers make quick work of the buttons.  It was such
an ordinary thing, almost not worth noticing.  And
yet, in this moment, it fascinated her.  It occurred
to her that sitting here, in this setting, he looked
normal.  Not that he *wasn't* normal, but he was
always so . . . so . . . Mulder.  Focused on
everything but the ordinary, the everyday.  She
realized she'd never really been able to quite picture
him doing things like any other person might do after
work - going out to dinner, shopping at the mall.  She
couldn't even imagine him doing laundry.  As
predictable as he could be, Mulder was also a mystery
in many ways.  But the casualness of his manner as he
opened his shirt helped him blend in perfectly.  She
was suddenly very aware of Mulder as just a man, as
someone other than her partner in the FBI.  As just a
guy trying to get a waitress's attention.  A guy with
an interestingly appealing neck.  Surprised, she
glanced away and mentally shook herself.

“So, Mulder, what kind of place is this?”

“I'm not really sure, Scully.”  He turned to her. 
“All I know is that this guy -"

“Joseph Atwood.”

“Right - has been popping up around the city in some
bizarre locations, causing a scene wherever he goes.” 
The waitress came over and they ordered drinks.

Scully continued.  "And he supposedly owns this club?"

"Supposedly.  That's what's odd, I couldn't get anyone
here to admit that when I called.  But my source is
reliable."

“And he claims to be a multiple abductee, running from
the mother ship that’s come to do more experiments on
him.”

“Claims it at the top of his lungs, in front of a
crowd.  I think he thinks if he’s surrounded by
people, there’s less chance it will happen again.”

"So you're hoping what, that he makes an appearance?"

"I thought we could talk to some of the employees
here, find out what's really going on."

"What makes you think they'll talk to you?"

"Why Scully, I'm a patron of the arts.  I just came in
tonight with my business partner -" he gestured to her
"- to catch the show, and I'll be so impressed that
I'll want to talk to the manager afterward about
investing in his establishment."

"There's a show?"

Mulder nodded.  "Some sort of dancing.  Probably a new
age kinda thing."  The waitress returned with the
drinks.  He raised his glass.  "Can't say I never take
you anywhere."

"When have I ever said that?"

Mulder sipped his drink and shrugged.  Scully shook
her head.  “I’m still not sure what you hope to gain
by this, Mulder.  This guy is most likely a wacko, not
an abductee.  What makes you think he has any
credibility whatsoever?”

Mulder opened his mouth to answer, but just at that
moment the lights dimmed and the music started up. 
The stage lights came on and Scully could see a few
poles that ran up to the ceiling.  The beat
intensified as four scantily clad women emerged. 
Their high heels clicked as they came forward and
wrapped themselves around the poles, swaying in time
to the music.  Legs twirling, hair flying, they played
to the crowd as they slowly began to remove items of
clothing - a glove here, a fishnet stocking there. 
Then one of the women removed her top, exposing
herself.  Scully turned to her partner.

"A strip club?  You brought me to a *strip club*,
Mulder?"

"Well I did say there would be dancing." She shot him
a withering look.  "Scully, I swear, I had no idea."

"Right.  You had no idea."

"Believe me, Scully, I -"

Just then the dancers moved to the edge of the stage. 
A few of the men sitting up front leaned forward and
reached toward the women, bills sticking out from
between their fingers.  The women bent their bodies in
all sorts of suggestive ways before reaching out to
grasp the money.  Scully heard Mulder shuffle beside
her and she turned; he was reaching into his pocket
with a grin.

“Mulder.”  Scully used her coldest voice.  

"Well, Scully, if I'm going to play the part . . ."

“Don’t . . . you . . . dare.”

Mulder’s grin got even wider.

Scully sat back in her chair with a huff.  She thought
seriously about getting up and leaving him there, but
the thought of trying to locate a cab in this part of
town was not very appealing.  She averted her eyes and
sipped her drink, waiting for the women to finish
their "act."  Mercifully, once the women had collected
all the money, they made their way offstage.

Then the lights dimmed even more as a long, bare table
was brought onstage.  The little lamps on the tables
flickered like fireflies on a summer night as the
music changed to a slower, more seductive pulse. 
“This could be it, Scully,” Mulder whispered in her
ear.  "Maybe our abductee is going to do a little
striptease for us."  Scully threw a disgusted glance
over her shoulder.

From the shadows came a man, tall and muscular, clad
only in black leather pants and jacket.  His
confidence and poise as he walked purposefully to the
front of the stage, coupled with his wavy dark hair,
seemed so familiar to Scully that she gave a start of
surprise when she realized the man almost resembled
Mulder.  Almost.  She was fairly certain Mulder didn’t
have nipple rings.

The man casually leaned against one of the poles and
looked to the side of the stage as if he was waiting
for something.  Now Scully could get a better look -
and found herself noticing just how tight those pants
were.  So tight, she could tell that the man was
semi-erect.  Clearing her throat, she whispered,
“Mulder - that’s not him.”

“No.”  There was that in his voice that made her turn
her head to look at him.  Mulder was staring straight
ahead, his eyes wide.  He gave a sudden intake of
breath.  Scully frowned.  “Mulder, what -"

The murmurs of approval in the crowd brought her back
around to the stage.  A woman had walked out, wearing
a black leather bra, bikini underpants, and very
high-heeled shoes.  She sauntered over to one of the
poles and began to dance as the man watched her.  Her
long, straight blonde hair tossed about as she gyrated
to the music.  Scully watched in horror as the man
shifted against the pole and began to stroke himself
through his pants.

Scully began to panic.  “Mulder, what is this?  What’s
going on?”

“Scully,” he breathed in response, “I uh . . . I think
this is the main event.”

“What do you mean?”  She stared as the woman abandoned
the pole and closed the distance between her and the
man in leather.  She stopped a few feet from him and
began another dance, running her hands over her body. 
The man spread his legs and cupped himself.  Scully
was still desperately trying to process all this. 
“Mulder, what’s going on?  What are they going to do?”
 But even as she asked the question she knew, as the
man walked over to the woman and danced with her. 
They moved against each other in an easy grind that
left no question as to what their bodies were
planning.

Scully felt Mulder’s breath coming hot and fast just
above her ear.  And suddenly she began to feel very
warm.  Her insides gave a little twist as the woman
removed the man’s jacket and let it fall to the floor.
 She smiled, playing with his nipple rings as he
massaged her arms.  All at once he moved to capture
her mouth with his, his hands grabbing her buttocks
and pulling her against him.  Scully snapped out of
her astonishment.  “Mulder, we have to get out of
here.  We weren’t expecting anything like this.  We
can’t watch this.”  She jumped as his hand came down
on her right shoulder.  He bent to her ear.  “Scully,
we can’t just get up and leave. We’re supposed to be
here for the show.  We can’t just walk out now.”

She knew he was right. But oh my god, was she going to
have to sit here and watch this couple do what she
suspected they were going to do?  And with Mulder
right next to her?  She was glad the lights were so
low, for she knew she must be as red as a lobster. 
The man lifted the woman’s arms over her head.  She
kept them there as he opened the front clasp of her
bra.  Pushing the material aside, he began to knead
her breasts, teasing the nipples with his thumbs.

Scully was more embarrassed than she’d ever been in
her life, watching the scene unfold with Mulder just
beside her.  Yet at the same time, she was fascinated.
 She’d never seen anything like this before, never
even watched an adult video, not once.  And here it
was in front of her, in living color.  She gulped as
the man bent to take a nipple in his mouth.  Scully
felt a pull in her groin in response; she clamped her
legs together firmly, trying to deny it.  But she
couldn’t deny the fact that Mulder now had both hands
on her shoulders and was massaging them gently. 
Scully didn’t turn around - she didn’t need to, he was
so close.  She titled her head back slightly.  “Mulder
. . . what do you think you’re doing?”

“Look around you, Scully.”  His voice was so thick and
hoarse, she almost didn’t recognize it.  She did as he
bade her; taking a glance around the club, she
realized that the patrons had begun to respond to the
show.  Some people were kissing; others were watching
the show and groping each other.  One woman a few
tables away had her blouse unbuttoned and her
companion was rubbing her breasts through her bra. 
Scully became aware that sighs and moans were drifting
throughout the club.  One man to their left was
blatantly rubbing himself as the girl he was with
tweaked her nipples through her shirt.  The audience
had not only paid to see a show - they were going to
take their own pleasure, and in public.

This was too much for Scully.  She began to protest
again as the woman onstage unzipped the man’s pants. 
“Mulder, we can’t . . . we have to . . .”

“I know, Scully, I know.”  His thumbs were working her
shoulder blades, and she suddenly found herself biting
her lip to stifle a groan.  “If you want to, Scully,
we’ll go.”

The zipper was down.  The woman helped the man out of
his pants, and Scully’s mouth dropped open as his cock
- long, huge, and beautifully erect - sprung free. 
The man could have been a porn star.  Maybe he was. 
Scully had never seen one of this size.  She wouldn’t
have believed it was possible.  She couldn’t take her
eyes off it.

But Mulder was still waiting for an answer.  “Scully .
. .”

The woman on stage knelt and swallowed as much of his
member as she could manage.  She played with his balls
as she sucked him, pulling back to tease the head and
then licking her way down his shaft again.  From her
seat Scully could hear the wet smacking noises. 
Mulder’s hands had stilled; he was gripping her
shoulders tightly.  Without thinking she reached up to
place her hands atop his.  If she intended to get him
to ease the pressure, he did, but he also twined his
fingers through hers.  Gently, Mulder shifted his
chair and pulled her back against him.  He lowered
their left hands and rested them on Scully’s stomach. 
Very softly, so softly she almost didn’t feel it,
Mulder placed a feather-light kiss on the knuckles of
her right hand.  “What do we do, Scully?”

She heard the catch in his voice and knew he was
aroused.  Of course he would be; this was Mulder.  The
man was quite accustomed to watching people have sex,
even though it was on TV.  She had no clue if he’d
ever seen anything like this, though.  Another tiny
kiss to her hand.  He’s just playing the part, she
thought.  Nothing more.  “All right,” she heard
herself say.  She squeezed his hand.  And trembled as
she felt his lips against her temple.  “We’ll have to
. . . you know . . . a little bit, just for
appearances,” he said as the man on stage stopped the
blowjob and knelt in front of the woman.

“Yes,” Scully replied.  “I know.”  Tentatively, she
lifted her right hand and brought it up to grasp the
back of Mulder’s neck.  She couldn’t be sure, but she
thought she heard him whimper.  Mulder kissed her just
above her ear.  

“Are you sure, Scully?  Are you sure you want to
stay?”

Her mind was under a full sexual assault.  She was in
danger of losing her sanity.  How could this be
happening?  How could they be here, watching this
scene unfold before their eyes?  How could she be
pressed up against her partner’s chest, her fingers
feeling the silkiness of his hair?  How could his
thumb be ever so lightly rubbing the material just
over her belly button?  And how could she be getting
so excited?

The man was removing the woman’s bikini bottom with
his teeth.  Both naked now, he turned her around and
bent her over the table.  She leaned forward on her
arms as he spread her legs wide.  Kneeling down, he
proceeded to lick her from behind, spreading her lips
apart as best he could with his fingers.  The woman
cried out, as did some of the people at the tables. 
Scully felt a warm gush between her legs.

“Scully?”  One more whispered question.  Slowly,
unbelievably, she formed the words.  “Yes, Mulder. 
We’ll stay.”  She didn’t dare look at him.  She barely
heard him over the music: “Oh, Scully . . .”

The man was eating the woman in earnest now, her cries
filling the room.  Scully watched it all.  God, it had
been so long since she felt this aroused.  So long
since anyone had done something like that to her.  She
began to squirm in her chair.  She could just see it,
being bent over and having some man behind her,
sucking and kissing her like that.  Some man . . . no,
not just some man.  A particular man.  A man who was
now placing tender kisses along her jaw.  

Scully was dimly aware that a couple not too far away
from them was having sex.  The woman sat facing the
stage atop the man’s lap.  Her skirt was spread
strategically, but it was clear they were fucking. 
The man on stage chose that moment to slurp loudly and
Scully’s body reacted.  She jerked up and back into
Mulder, her hand tensing in his hair.  He held her
tighter around the waist and pressed his face into her
neck, murmuring.  “Scully, my god.  Can’t believe I’m
here with you . . . like this . . .”  Her left hand
had a mind of its own; it was rubbing Mulder’s thigh
now, determinedly.  Mulder began to plant kisses up
and down her neck as the man stood up and thrust
himself into the woman.  They both moaned as he held
her hips and began to pump in a steady rhythm.  Scully
stared as the entire length of his cock disappeared
into the woman, over and over.  And then she gasped as
Mulder nibbled her earlobe.

Oh, it was so good to feel his mouth on her.  Here, in
a place where no one knew who they were, where they
seemed to be just two people out on the town, enjoying
the local sex show.  People did this sort of thing all
the time.  Nothing unusual about that.  Uh huh. 
Right. What was truly unusual was that she was letting
her partner touch her in this way.  She knew that on
some level she’d always been attracted to Mulder.  She
cared deeply for him but had tried not to let her
thoughts turn carnal.  It wasn’t easy; Mulder was
quite a good-looking man, even if he seemed to be
oblivious to that fact.  She even thought sometimes
that Mulder might find her attractive too, although it
was hard to tell from the casual way he threw around
his sexual innuendo. But they were partners; they
couldn’t let something like this happen.  If he had
ever tried to do what he was doing to her now, she
might have decked him.  Maybe.  Or maybe she would
have let him touch her, just as he was touching her
right now.  And maybe she would have touched him.  

She felt the tip of Mulder’s tongue trace her ear
delicately.  It felt so good.  She wanted him to know,
but she couldn’t do much in her position.  So she
stretched her neck to give him better access. 
“Scully,” he moaned.

“Mulder,” she replied as she gripped his thigh.

The man on stage pulled out and the woman turned over
on her back.  She played with her breasts as he held
her legs open and plunged back inside her depths. 
Scully was beginning to go out of her mind.  She
didn’t even notice when a second woman walked on
stage.  But Mulder did.  She heard him gasp and
suddenly he pulled Scully onto his lap.  She was so
shocked at this development she couldn’t speak.  And
then she saw.  The woman headed for the couple on
stage was petite, naked - and she had red hair, neatly
cut into a bob.  Mulder gripped her hips tightly and
gently bit down into her neck.

It was Scully’s turn to whimper.

The redhead climbed cat-like onto the table and knelt
over the blonde’s face, facing the man.  Wasting no
time, she settled herself as the blonde began to lick
her.  Mulder pulled Scully back into him as he thrust
up against her with a groan he didn’t even try to
hide.  Scully’s skirt had risen up quite a bit; she
just about lost it as she felt Mulder’s erection press
against her heat.  He did it again, and again, as the
redhead moved sensuously above the other woman,
sighing with pleasure.  

Scully lost herself in the feeling of Mulder’s touch,
of his cock nudging her.  She heard his soft gasps and
she wanted, needed to see his face.  Gathering her
courage, she turned her head.  His eyes were dark and
his full mouth was open, the lips moist.  He looked
down at her and Scully saw the full extent of his
desire, directed at her.  She couldn’t stop herself
from reaching for him and bringing his lips to hers. 
No gentle first kiss, this; Mulder devoured her mouth,
seeking every inch of her with his tongue.  Scully
kissed him back as hard as she could in her position. 
She worried his bottom lip between her teeth; he in
turn captured her tongue and sucked it until she felt
another rush of juices coat her sex.  Around them
couples gasped, groaned, and fucked.  The smell of sex
was in the air, and Scully breathed it in like a woman
starved for oxygen even as she let herself drown in
Mulder.

She felt his right hand rubbing her thigh through her
pantyhose and yelped into his mouth as his fingers
traveled just under the hem of her skirt.  As their
lips parted, they both looked at the stage just in
time to see the redhead stretch herself over the
blonde in the 69 position.  Scully watched the
redhead’s tongue tease the other woman as the man
continued his thrusting.

Mulder growled low in his throat; Scully shivered at
the sound.  His hand traveled higher, higher - and
hesitated.  Scully held her breath - and as the
redhead stretched out her tongue to lick the man’s
cock, Mulder’s finger pressed against her heat. 
Scully threw her head back and cried out softly. 
Mulder began to rub her as she moved against him,
making him impossibly hard.  He bit down on her neck
again and ripped through the hose so he could touch
her through her panties.  Scully was moaning
constantly now, adjusting herself so she could still
see the stage as Mulder worked her into a frenzy.  His
left hand came up beneath her breast and cupped her. 

Scully felt Mulder’s finger teasing along the edge of
her panties.  She spread her legs wider in invitation.
 His finger slipped under the band and into her.  They
groaned together.  Mulder began to whisper in her ear
as he pumped his finger inside her.  “Oh, god, Scully,
you’re so wet . . . oh yeah, that’s it.  Oh, Scully.”

The blonde was coming. When she quieted down, the
redhead took the man in her mouth.  A few thrusts were
all it took and the man pulled out and came all over
the redhead’s breasts.  Scully screamed silently, her
mouth wide open as Mulder worked her body.  His finger
traveled up to her clit and pressed.  She came in his
arms, right there at the table, in a room full of
people doing pretty much the same thing.

The lights on the stage went out.  The club stayed
dimly lit as the people around them calmed down and
gathered themselves.  Scully was slowly coming back to
awareness, and the reality of the situation hit her
just as Mulder removed his hand and placed it back on
her thigh.  She froze.  Mulder wasn’t moving now
either, presumably waiting to see what she would do. 
Scully could not move a muscle.  

“Scully.”  His whisper almost made her moan with
despair.  God, what had they done, what had they done?
 How could she let it happen?  

“Scully, look at me.  Please, Scully.”

There was no way she was going to look at him.  Not
after what had just happened.  Oh, god, Mulder had
touched her and kissed her and put his finger inside
her and made her come -

“Scully.”  He was pleading now.  Biting her lip, she
turned her head towards him, keeping her eyes on his
shoulder.  Mulder’s hand gently tilted her chin up so
that she was forced to look into his eyes.  What she
saw transfixed her.  Mulder’s eyes were full of
wonder, hope, and an unmistakable hunger.  But there
was fear behind them - fear that she would shun him,
be repulsed by what they had done.  Fear that he’d
ruined everything between them. And she wanted nothing
more than to take away that fear.  But she couldn’t
make a sound.  She began to panic as she felt the
moment slipping away, felt him slipping away.  In a
matter of seconds they’d be back to where they were
before and, knowing them, they’d never speak of this
again.

Desperate, Scully did the only thing she could do -
she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. 
She felt his little jolt of surprise, then acceptance
as he responded, opening his mouth slightly as she
explored him with the tip of her tongue.  He tasted so
good; she wanted more.  He gave it to her, nipping her
bottom lip and making her gasp.  Mulder took advantage
and slid his tongue into her mouth as he deepened the
kiss.  Scully couldn’t stop the moan that escaped from
the back of her throat.  Mulder’s hand came around to
the back of her head and he took control, turning her
from side to side as he explored her mouth.

Abruptly he broke the kiss; she stared up at him in
confusion, panting.  Mulder looked wild; his eyes held
hers firmly as she waited to see what he would do. 
His fingertip came up to her mouth and he traced her
lips.  Scully breathed in deep and smelled a rich,
musky scent that almost made her melt.  This was the
finger Mulder had used to . . . the memory assaulted
her mind, of bodies writhing, mouths sucking, his
finger dipping inside her, making her so wet, of
people all around them kissing and fucking . . . 

She opened her mouth without thinking, and the tip of
his finger touched the wet underside of her lip. 
Scully held his gaze as she took him in, sucking
lightly, tasting herself.  Mulder swallowed hard.

“Let’s get out of here,” he rasped.  

"But what about - "

He shook his head.  "Forget it."

"But Mulder -"

He was out of his chair and helping her out of hers. 
She stood up silently and headed toward the door,
Mulder close behind her.

End of Part 1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~