Eyes In the Night - Part 2/6
Summary and disclaimers in Part 1

*****

Moira Anderson Residence 
Black Hawk Stables 
North Spokane,WA 

Scully watched as Mulder and O'Neil followed Moira into her
little house, then turned to Justin. "Why don't you get back
to the office and finish up that paperwork you've been
complaining about all day? I'll catch a ride back with
Mulder." Scully didn't really need him here. Mulder was
right; Justin was not a believer. He nodded, then left, a
bit reluctantly Scully thought. He had become irritatingly
protective of her, and he hadn't seemed happy when he found
out Mulder was coming. 

She entered Moira's front door. Despite its small size, the
house was homey and comfortable. Several paintings, most of
scenery and animals, hung on the walls. The floor was kept
very clean, especially considering the amount of dirt that
must be tracked though day after day. There was a large
screen door just off the kitchen, and through it Scully
could see two paddocks and their occupants just beyond the
yard. Moira was literally surrounded by horses. Scully had
always liked horses, but she doubted she could ever live her
life devoted to them. 

Mulder was sitting on the sofa next to Moira, with O'Neil
standing a bit off to the side. He looked very intent as he
listened to her. He had been so shocked that Scully had
believed Moira. She guessed that her opening mind had
continued to open even after leaving him. And while she
still felt a twinge of doubt, she truly wanted to believe in
the young woman's claims of entering the mind of animals.
Moira was telling Mulder how it felt to run with a horse
across a green meadow: To feel its excitement, to hear with
its ears the insects rustling in the grass, to smell the
sweetness of the clover as it's stepped on. Or to sore high
above the earth with a hawk. To dive at speeds of over 100
miles per hour with a falcon. Feeling the unconditional love
and devotion a dog has for his master. 

Mulder listened with absolute fascination. Rarely did he
interrupt with questions. But one question caught Moira off
guard. "Have you ever entered the mind of another human
being?" 

Moira sat silently for a while. "When I was young, just
learning how to control my gift, I tried that. But it was
too difficult. The human mind has too many barriers,
protecting itself, I guess." She looked up at Mulder. "I had
a migraine the size of Texas for four days afterward. I
haven't tried it since." 

Moira looked at Scully, then glanced at O'Neil. "When I'm in
another mind, my own body is basically empty. That's why I
mainly do it at night, when my body is safe in bed. I can
return to it at will, but most animals have no sense of
time. I can be in the mind of a barn swallow, diving and
playing in the wind for what feels like only minutes, but
when I come back, I realize that it has been several hours."
She smiled. "I've been late to work a few times because of
that." 

Mulder leaned back, closing his eyes briefly. When he opened
them, he looked at Scully. She could swear they were
glowing. She felt his excitement all the way across the
room. It was addictive, and she had missed it. Clyde
Bruckman, Lucy Housholder, and a handful of other, true
psychics had brought about this excitement in him before. He
was thrilled. But he was still a professional. "How do you
think you can help us to catch 'The Beast'?" 

"Well, he works at night, right? I can ride with an animal
that can cover a lot of ground and see well at night, like
an owl." 

"I thought you couldn't control the animal you inhabit?" 

"I can, in a way. I can encourage its curiosity enough that
it will follow someone. Rats and cats wander the same
streets as his victims. I'm sure I could spot him
somewhere." She looked at Scully. "I just need to know I can
call someone who'll believe me if I do find him." 

"Wouldn't you get tired?" O'Neil asked. 

Moira shook her head, getting more and more excited at the
prospect of catching a killer. "No. I'll be asleep. Only my
mind will be active. Kind of like dreaming." She looked back
at Mulder. "Please let me help. My..." she took a deep
breath. "My little sister was one of his victims." 

************************************************************

US Federal Building 
Spokane, WA 

Mulder sat in a comfortable leather chair facing Scully's
desk. The nameplate he had given her as a going away present
sat near the front, and he found himself smiling at it.
Scully had indeed made it to the bigtime. An office of her
own, with a great view of Riverfront Park. An assistant all
to herself. Mulder felt very proud of her, and happy that
she seemed happy. 

Cat was sitting in the chair next to him, looking like a
schoolgirl who had been sent to the principle's office and
didn't know what to expect. He had seen her nervous before,
but never like this. 

Scully swept into the office from the door behind them.
"Agent O'Neil?" 

"Yes, Ma'am?" Cat jumped to attention. 

"I was hoping you'd like to join Agent Monroe in the
conference room and meet with the rest of the task force
members?" She settled herself in the chair behind her desk.
"I'd like to speak with Agent Mulder. We'll join you in a
minute." 

"Of course." Cat jumped up and followed Monroe, who was
standing in the door watching Scully with a disapproving
look on his face. Cat quietly closed the door behind them.

Scully looked at Mulder, eyebrows furrowed. "Is she always
this jumpy?" she asked, referring to Cat. 

"Actually, no," Mulder replied. "I think she's a little
intimidated by you." A smile played on his lips. 

"Me?!" Her eyebrows shot up. "She's almost a half of a foot
taller than me and drop-dead gorgeous to boot. What's she
got to fear from me?" 

"She claims that the Mulder/Scully partnership is legendary.
I'm thinking that she's afraid she'll do something to change
that." 

"Like what?" 

Mulder shrugged. "Come between us, maybe?" 

"Could she?" 

Mulder looked her in the eye. "Never." 

Scully nodded, a look of relief passing over her face. Then
she looked down at the papers piled on her desk. Looking up
again, she said, "I had Moira look over some mug shots the
other day. Nothing. I'm going to have her look at some
others on Wednesday. Her idea about 'searching' for him is
just too...I don't know. It just doesn't seem like it will
work too good." 

Mulder had picked up her name plaque and was fiddling with
it. "I agree. I also think that the possibility of finding
and catching this guy within the week is slim to none." 

Mulder looked up a Scully. "I'll write up a profile if you
want, but other than interviewing Moira about her 'talent',
there's really nothing I can do here." 

"Are you saying I should never have asked you to come?" 

"Hell, no, Scully." He set the plaque down and got up to
look out the window. He could feel her eyes tracking him.
"Nice view," he said after a while. Then he turned toward
her. "Come here, Scully." 

"What?" 

"Just come here." 

Scully stood and began walking slowly toward him. Halfway
there, he opened his arms. Without any more hesitation, she
walked into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his chest
and burying her face against him. 

Mulder held her tightly, breathing deeply her scent; spice
with a hint of vanilla. "Now this, combined with the wonder
that is Moira, of course, just made the trip worth while."
He felt her smile. "I missed you." 

She leaned back and looked up at him. "You talk to me almost
every night," she said teasingly. 

"The computer is nothing like this. Seeing your eyes,
touching you, smelling you..." 

"Smelling me?" She looked as if she was about to laugh. 

"Yes, Agent Scully. Smelling you. You smell pretty damn
good, did you know that?" 

She blushed slightly. "You don't smell so bad yourself." 

Mulder found himself drowning in her blue eyes. With
deliberate intent, he lowered his head. Scully's eyes
fluttered closed and her lips parted, preparing for his
kiss. 

The phone on Scully's desk rang, and Scully jumped away from
Mulder as if someone had walked through the door. Mulder
exhaled heavily in frustration as she answered the phone. He
looked out the window again, trying to calm his body down
before somebody did walk in and notice; it hadn't taken long
for him to become almost fully aroused with Scully so near. 

Scully finished her conversation, which Mulder had heard
none of, and turned to him. She wouldn't meet his eyes. "I
guess it's back to work. The team's ready to meet you." 

"O.K., let's go." In control now, Mulder started to follow
her out of the office. "Scully." He waited until she looked
at him. "This isn't over yet." She nodded, then walked out
the door. With a sigh, Mulder followed.

************************************************************

Scully's House 
Colbert, WA 

Dana Scully's house was a small, one-story, ranch-style
house that sat just off the forest in Colbert, a small
'suburb' of Spokane. Neat and comfortable, Scully rented it
from a retired couple who were currently roaming the US in
their RV. She hadn't bought it, though she could certainly
afford to, because she had never felt settled. She liked
Spokane, it's pace much slower than the DC area, but it just
didn't feel like home. 

Now Scully raced around straightening pictures that didn't
need straightening, and dusting tables that had already been
dusted. She was nervous again, she thought. She had invited
both Mulder and O'Neil to dinner, and the thought of Mulder
entering her little haven for the first time made her a bit
tense. It didn't help that Justin had invited himself when
he overheard the invitation. With luck, she could get rid of
him early, and send O'Neil off, too. The thought of being
alone with Mulder excited her and made her feel very
uncomfortable at the same time. 

He had almost kissed her again. And she had almost let him.
In her office, of all places! Where had her professionalism
gone? After seven years of close contact with the man,
nothing like that had ever happened! He had obviously wanted
it, and he wasn't a bit sorry about it, either. She blushed
as she recalled the feel of his arousal pressed against her
belly. And she also remembered the way he looked at her,
with half-lidded, hot eyes, during the meeting afterwards. 

"Oh, my," she sighed to herself. She had been celibate for
several years now, but she didn't think that was the reason
for her lust-filled thoughts now. It was Mulder, plain and
simple. She had wanted him from the first moment she had met
him, and the fact that he obviously wanted her too only
compounded the feeling. She had never believed it was
possible! 

Scully had felt the pressure of being a woman in a man's
world many times. But from day one, Mulder had treated her
like an equal. Never once had he suggested that she couldn't
do something due to her gender. Yet, he had always made her
feel feminine as well. A guiding hand on the small of her
back, an appreciative look when she was dressed in her best,
a flirtatious statement every now and then, like his comment
of her being 'hot' after her first meeting with the Lone
Gunmen. Despite all this, she had never really felt like she
was Mulder's 'type'. He always seemed to prefer the tall,
leggy blondes (or brunettes, like O'Neil). Maybe she was
wrong. Maybe he did like short red-heads. Or maybe it was
just her he liked. 

Justin, who had been to her house for dinner and
conversation before, was the first to arrive. His smile was
bright and his blue eyes flashed with good humor, but she
couldn't help but be suspicious about why he was really
there. He had brought a bottle of wine, and Scully had been
in the kitchen opening it when Mulder and O'Neil arrived.
The minute she walked into the living room, she felt flooded
with testosterone; Mulder and Justin seemed to be sizing
each other up. 'Oh, no,' Scully thought, remembering how
Mulder had done the same thing with other male friends of
hers in the past. But it appeared that Justin had started
the posturing first. 

"Yep," Justin was saying, answering a question Mulder had
asked but Scully hadn't heard. "I do a lot of rock climbing
and mountain biking. It's a good area for outdoor
activities." 

"Ever been to the top of Mt. Spokane?" Mulder asked. 

Justin shrugged. "Who hasn't?" 

Mulder looked at Scully, and she gave him an innocent smile.
"You can drive to the top, Mulder. You don't have to climb
it." 

"Oh," Mulder said. "So it wouldn't be 'manly' to say I'd
been to the top?" He sat on the couch. "Good thing you told
me, Scully, before I started bragging about climbing Mt.
Spokane!" 

O'Neil laughed and Justin looked embarrassed. Scully wasn't
sure what she had missed in their earlier conversation, but
it appeared that Mulder had bowed out of any competition
with his sarcastic remark. 

Gradually, Scully began to relax. She had made lasagna, with
meat since she knew both Mulder and Justin wouldn't look too
fondly on vegetarian meals, and it had turned out perfect.
The dinner conversation was pleasant, for the most part.
Relaxed by the wine, Scully found herself watching Mulder,
barely listening to the conversation flowing about her. When
at one point in the evening she caught Mulder looking at her
with the same expression he had in the meeting earlier, she
decided to stop drinking the wine. She wanted a clear head
this evening. 

Finally, Justin decided to go, still eyeing Mulder warily.
As she saw him out, she noticed Mulder take O'Neil's arm and
whisper something to her. She nodded, looked nervously at
Scully, then quickly followed Justin out. "Hey, Monroe! Can
I have a ride?" 

With a glare at Mulder, Justin nodded, and the two of them
headed off down the walk together. Leaving Mulder and Scully
alone. 

************************************************************

Mulder was quite pleased with himself. He hadn't been sure
Cat would be willing to leave him behind, but she had been
more than accommodating. With a smile, he turned away from
Scully, who stood in the doorway with a dumbfounded look on
her face. He roamed the living room, recognizing knickknacks
and artwork from Scully's apartment in DC. He stopped by the
mantle of the small, stone fireplace. Pictures of Scully's
family sat there. Her parents, Bill and his family,
Charles(the only member he had never met other than her
father), Scully and Melissa when they were younger, and
Scully and her mother. On the end sat two pictures that
surprised and delighted him. One was of himself and Scully,
taken at one of those boring, silly workshops they'd had to
attend. He had seen it before. In fact, one just like it had
gone up in flames with his office three years ago. 

The second he had no idea how she had gotten.It was a
picture of him, dressed casually in shorts and a sweatshirt
with the sleeves cut out, basketball in hand and a smile on
his face. He looked over at Scully. She stood in the doorway
to the foyer, leaning against the jamb, her arms crossed
over her chest, watching him. He pointed to the picture.
"Where'd you get this?"

She looked down at the floor in embarrassment. "A friend."
She met his gaze again. He continued to look at her, not
satisfied with that vague answer. She sighed. "Kimberly took
it at a charity game a few years back. She had a crush on
you, you know. She gave it to me just before I left town."
She smiled. "She said I'd need it more than she since she
had finally found someone of her own." 

"Skinner's assistant Kimberly?" He looked surprised. "She
had a crush on me?" 

"Mulder," Scully tried to be patient. "She wasn't the only
one in the building that was attracted to you. Surely you
knew that?" 

"Were you?" 

Scully bit her lower lip, an action that made Mulder's body
tighten uncontrollably. "I guess I was. But you were my
partner and my friend." 

He turned and walked toward her. "And that changed things?" 

"Well, of course. There's no rule that says you can't have
romantic feelings for your partner, but I felt it wasn't
professional." 

"Not professional?" He had stopped in front of her. 

Scully nodded. "They say that while a romantic relationship
between partners isn't against the rules, it had better be
kept discreet and not interfere with work. If I had let my
feelings be known, I'm sure it would have ruined a great
partnership." 

"We're not partners anymore." Mulder was amazed at the
truths they were getting to in this supposedly light
discussion. 

"But we're still friends, and romance can put that at risk,
as well." Scully's voice had become husky. Sexy, Mulder
thought. 

"I don't think anything in the universe can destroy our
friendship, Scully." He braced his left arm on the wall
beside her, leaning in close. "With all we've been through?"
He shook his head. 

Scully reached up to fiddle with his tie. He watched her
carefully, ready to pull back if that's what she wanted. He
knew that their working relationship was only an excuse. In
reality, they had both been too scared to let each other in.
Too scared to believe they had found their other half. 

Her blue eyes flickered up to meet his. 'She is so
beautiful,' he thought. She was dressed casually tonight,
slacks and a long-sleeved silk blouse. Her hair was up. It
should have made her look mature and professional, but the
few strands that had escaped to float about her face were
incredibly attractive. He knew she had drunk more than usual
tonight, and he didn't want to push her. He wanted her, but
he wanted her to want him just as much. No regrets in the
morning. No blaming the wine, or the light, or the
situation. 

"Scully? Do you, by chance, believe a long-distance
relationship would be too hard to accomplish?" 

"Depends on what kind of relationship, I guess." 

"This kind," he whispered, then lowered his head to meet her
lips. She was ready for him and met his mouth with a
fervency that surprised him. Wrapping his right arm around
her, he pushed her over so her back was against the wall.
His tongue and lips played with hers for a while, then he
swept his hands down her back, cupping her bottom. 

She gasped into his mouth, then sighed. The sound encouraged
him, and he lowered his hands still more, to the backs of
her thighs, tugging upward. She understood his silent
command, allowing him to pick her up so she could wrap her
legs around his waist. He pushed her against the wall.
Picking her up had increased her height, and Mulder took
advantage of the position by kissing her neck and throat,
slowly working his way farther south. She clung to his neck,
eyes closed, head leaning back against the wall behind her. 

A ringing sound joined the roar in his ears. He felt Scully
pushing at his shoulders. "Mulder." He forced himself to
stop and look up at her. "Mulder, the phone." 

Phone! Who cared! "Leave it!" he growled, and continued to
nuzzle her, thrusting his hips forward, pressing his arousal
hard against her. Her own hips moved, rubbing herself
against him, and she moaned over the sound of her own voice
on the answering machine,telling whoever to leave a message.
Another voice followed: Moira 

"Dana, are you there?" She sounded excited. "Dana, please!
If you're there, pick up! I saw him tonight! I saw the
Beast!" 

*****

End of 2/6