Eyes In the Night - Part 4/6
Summary and disclaimers in Part 1

*****

"I can't believe we have to spend the night in a cabin owned
by a suspected serial killer!" Scully stood at the front
window of said cabin watching the snow fall. She had her
arms wrapped tightly around herself, trying to get warm. The
cabin was cold, and she wasn't about to take off her coat,
wet or not. 

"Hey, it could be worse," Mulder commented from his position
in front of the fireplace. Scully turned to glare at him.
"Once I get this fire going, it'll be nice and cozy in
here." 

"If you ever get that fire going," Scully quipped. Even with
the matches taken from the emergency pack in the trunk of
the car, he was having a heck of a time starting a blaze.
"Come on, Mr. Indian Guide. What's taking so long?" Mulder
didn't say a word, but kept on trying to get the kindling to
burn. Scully looked back outside. "I feel like I'm in a
snowglobe." She heard Mulder chuckle.

In the north country, it got dark very quickly in the
wintertime. At only 3:30 in the afternoon, thanks to the low
clouds, it was already dusk outside. Behind her, she heard
Mulder's shout of triumph and the crackling of the fire. The
darkened cabin lit up with a soft orange glow. A romantic
light, Scully thought. A seductive light. She shivered, and
not just because of the cold. "What happens happens," she
whispered softly to herself. But did she really want it to
happen here? 

"Did you say something, Scully?" Darn his very good, but
incredibly selective, hearing! 

Without facing him, she replied, "Nothing." Then she moved
to stand next to the fire. It's warmth was a welcome relief.
She felt Mulder's gaze on her and turned to face him. He was
staring at her intently. He had shed his coat and tie while
working on the fire, and his shirt was opened at the neck.
She felt her gaze linger there, watching the dancing shadows
from the fire play hide and seek with the hollow of his
throat. Heat shot through her, as well as fear.

What would it be like to make love to this man, she
wondered? What if she let her hormones take over, like she
had in her house last night, only this time there would be
no interruptions? It would be good, without a doubt. Mulder
wouldn't disappoint. But would she disappoint him? She could
hardly explain to him that her experience was limited, and
most of that long ago. Her Catholic upbringing had kept her
inexperienced until med-school, when she had met Daniel. She
could count on one hand the number of men she had been with
since. Despite her confidence in her work and in her
abilities as a doctor, Scully felt insecure when it came to
passion, more so for every year she was without. But the
incident last night had proven that she could let herself
stop thinking and just feel. That's all she had to do. Don't
think. Feel. 

"Scully," Mulder began, his voice husky. She knew what he
was thinking. 

"We're on assignment, Mulder." Her excuse was weak, and she
knew it. 

"And we're stuck up here until a snow plow comes to dig us
out or a helicopter airlifts us out!" Both had tried their
cell-phones earlier, to no avail. Someone would rescue them,
just not anytime soon. "Scully?" Mulder paused, waiting for
her to look at him. When she did, he reached out to softly
stroke her cheek with the back of his hand. "If you don't
want this to happen, just say so." 

Scully bit the inside of her lip, then spun away from him,
heading for the door. "Where are you going?" Mulder asked. 

"To look around outside before it gets too dark," she called
back over her shoulder. 

She heard him mumble as he grabbed his coat and followed
her. "Good idea. I need a little cooling off." 

Outside, Scully stopped and lifted her face to the sky,
feeling the snowflakes melt on her heated face. She took a
deep breath, and felt Mulder come up behind her. "Isn't it
beautiful?" she asked. 

Mulder didn't reply. Instead, he walked over to stand next
to a small hill. While she watched in amazement, he fell
into the snow on his back and proceeded to sweep his arms
and legs up and down. 

Scully stifled a giggle. "What are you doing?!"

"Making a snow angel. Haven't you ever made a snow angel
before?" His voice was a bit muffled by the snow. 

Scully couldn't help it. She started laughing. "If you're
trying to cool off, it might work better if you face down." 

"Very funny!" He promptly sat up, and before she could
react, sent a snowball sailing her way. Shock froze her for
a second, but it didn't take long for her to retaliate. 

Within seconds, an all out snowball war commenced. Scully
took shelter behind the car, laughing so hard tears were
streaming down her face. Mulder's throw was powerful, but
his aim was off because he was laughing too hard. Scully's
aim, however, was deadly accurate, despite her giggles.
Mulder seemed to know he was beat as long as she stayed
behind the car, so with a roar he charged around it. With a
very un-Scully-like squeal, she turned and ran. The snow
hindered her progress, and with his long legs, Mulder caught
her easily. In one jump, he tackled her, and they both fell
to the snow. 

With a giant shove, Scully managed to push against him,
twisting away. But he had strength and position on his side,
and she soon found herself on her back, Mulder sprawled on
top of her. Their laughter quickly faded. 

"Mulder?" Scully whispered. It was a plea, of sorts. Whether
it was a plea for him to let her go or a plea to kiss her,
she wasn't sure. Mulder's eyes narrowed and looked at her
lips. It was obvious what he wanted wanted it to be. 

His eyes met hers again. "Scully? Do you realize that there
are no operating phones within miles?" 

Scully started laughing again. His laughter joined hers.
"Must be fate, Mulder," she said when she got her breath
back. 

"I thought you didn't believe in fate." 

She brought a gloved hand up to his cold-reddened cheek.

"Maybe I don't," she whispered. Then she made her final
choice. "But I do know that this is right." 

Mulder smiled softly, then lowered his lips to hers. The
first touch was tentative. Cold lips to cold lips. But they
quickly warmed, then heated as they parted. Thought
disappeared from Scully's mind as she told herself: feel,
don't think. Just feel. 

And feel she did. She felt Mulder pull her up out of the
snow. She felt the heat of the fire as they re-entered the
cabin. She felt herself tremble as their clothing quickly
disappeared, and once again she found herself on her back,
this time on the bed. There was no shyness, no hesitation.
This was Mulder, her best friend. The man she trusted with
her life. The man she would give her life for. 

It was far more than she had ever imagined. She had known he
would be a wonderful lover, gentle but intense. But she had
not realized that he would demand the same amount of
intensity from her. As his hands ran over her naked body, he
slowly began to awaken something wild and abandoned within
her. With his assistance, Scully did something she never
did; she lost control. And it was wonderful.

When he finally entered her, she tensed, her body
unaccustomed to the invasion after years of celibacy. He
stopped, and she opened her eyes to find him watching her
intently. She relaxed, and began to revel in the feel of
him, thick and hard as steel, inside her. Giving him a
sleepy smile, she said in a breathless voice, "Welcome
home." He smiled back, then began to move. She gasped, but in
pleasure, not discomfort, and began to move with him. The
feeling was like nothing she had ever experienced before,
and she wanted more. She began moving her hips faster, and
Mulder responded, thrusting harder. Then, with a shout, she
sailed over the pinnacle, knowing, as she did, that she
wasn't alone. He was there with her, and not just in body,
but also in spirit.

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

Matthew Ross' Cabin 
Hayden Lake, Idaho 

Mulder slowly opened his eyes. The fire was low, so he knew
he had fallen asleep. He turned his head sharply to the
left, then gave a sigh of relief as he saw Scully there, her
red hair tousled, her mouth open in sleep. He had been
afraid it had all been a dream. He felt a smile play at his
lips as he recalled every detail of their union. For a man
who admittedly enjoyed women, he had not been with very many
in his life, especially of late. Now he knew why. As sappy
as it sounded, he knew he had been waiting for Scully. 

Slowly, and as quietly as he could, he slipped out from
under the covers to put more logs on the fire. He barely
remembered getting himself and Scully under them before they
had fallen asleep. But before that...Wow! Mulder couldn't
believe his sedate, always in control partner had been a
wildcat during sex. He turned toward the bed and stopped.
His wildcat was awake. 

Her eyes glowed in the firelight, and they slowly drifted
down his body as he continued to walk toward her. Mulder
almost blushed under her perusal. He slid under the covers
and gathered her in his arms. She settled her head on his
chest and curled against his body. "I thought I was
dreaming," she whispered. 

"Me, too." He kissed the top of her head. "But even MY
dreams are never that good." 

"Thank you," she said teasingly. 

They lay quietly for a while, but Mulder's body had a mind
of its own, and he felt himself becoming aroused again.
'Good grief,' he thought. 'I'm almost forty years old, not
some randy teenager!' Only Scully could do this to him. His
mind suddenly recalled something that had happened earlier,
during their lovemaking, and he couldn't help but tease
Scully about it. "You called me Fox." 

Scully lifted her head and looked at him with surprise.
"When?" 

Mulder gave her a wicked grin. "Guess." 

Even in the firelight, he could see her blush. He wondered
how far down her body the rosy color went. "I'm sorry! I
know how much you hate being called that! I..." 

He quickly silenced her with a finger on her lips. "I
actually didn't mind hearing it tonight." His smile had
turned soft and seductive. "Just so you don't ever say it
like THAT in public!" 

"Not a chance of that ever happening," she whispered. She
lay her head back down and Mulder gently began to stroke her
bare arm. 

"Why did we wait so long for something so right?" he asked
after a short silence. He felt Scully's body tense slightly.
He lifted his head to look at her questioningly.

Scully sighed. "I think there are a lot of reasons, Mulder."
She pushed herself onto her elbow and looked down at him. "I
think we both have lived our lives trying to be individuals
and were so caught up in our careers that we were too scared
that letting each other in would change things." She paused.
"Doing what we're doing now just broke that last barrier we
had between us. There's no way to ever go back now." 

"Go back to what?" Mulder demanded. "Dreaming about each
other? Going home alone every night? Not being able to go to
sleep without knowing the other is safe, wherever they are?"
He pushed himself into a sitting position. "I think you're
wrong. I don't think it's that complicated. I think we're
both just scared shitless!" He looked at her. "We can blame
our jobs, our sense of professionalism, our fear of losing
each others respect and friendship, our fear of letting go
and showing emotion. It's all a lie! We're just too scared
to let ourselves be happy!" He stopped and stared at the
fire for a while. He felt Scully sit up next to him. He
turned to face her when he felt her gentle, hesitant touch
on his shoulder. "Scully, I love you. I have for years,
probably since you stumbled into my motel room in Oregon,
convinced you were going to die like those kids up there.
Since you left, I have never really cared about anything
anymore. Not the X Files, not the FBI. Nothing but you. You
once called my search for the truth an obsession. No more.
YOU have become my obsession, Scully. And this, tonight, has
only made it worse!" 

Scully was shaking her head violently. "Don't say that,
Mulder!" she exclaimed. "You are too strong a person to let
someone else's existence become yours!" 

"But it's true! When you were in DC, I could at least
pretend it wasn't. That my job was the most important thing
in the world to me. But when you left, I didn't even want to
go to work in the morning!" 

Scully had tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry. I never wanted
to be the cause of you losing your love for your work." She
choked back a sob. "Mulder, please! I fell in love with the
man whose passion drove the X Files. I've supported him
through thick and thin. I can't stand the thought of being
his destroyer!" She was clutching his hand tightly, trying
not to cry. 

He brought her hand up to his mouth. "You're not, Scully!
Just the opposite! You brought me life!" He kissed her
knuckles. "Just knowing you loved me kept me going." He felt
tears in his eyes now. "But why did you have to go?" 

"Why did you let me?!" She questioned back. He looked at
her, confused. "If you had, just once during those final
weeks, asked me to stay, I would have!"

Mulder closed his eyes. He knew why. 'Oh, what a tangled web
we weave,' he thought to himself. He had let her go to save
her, only to loose himself in the process. "It doesn't
matter anymore," he said softly. "Besides, tonight might
never have happened if you hadn't gone away." 

Scully gave him a faint smile. "Reunions are great, aren't
they?" Suddenly, she got up on her knees, throwing the quilt
and sheets covering them to the foot of the bed. "Let's not
let this night go to waste!" Slowly, seductively, she
straddled him, running her hands up and down his chest. With
a groan, he fell back on the bed, letting her take control
this time around. He moved his hands up to her breasts,
toying with her nipples, watching in fascination as they
tightened in response. With a soft moan, she leaned over
him, catching his lower lip between her teeth and giving a
gentle tug. With a sinfully beautiful smile on her face, she
gently grasped him in her hand, then slowly impaled herself.
Mulder arched his back and groaned. But he didn't close his
eyes. He couldn't. He loved the way she looked in the
firelight, leaning above him. Like a temptress, a witch, her
fiery red hair burning brighter than ever. 

It didn't take long for tears to turn into passion once
more. With each touch, each kiss, their hearts opened more
to each other. Mulder had spent most of his adult life
looking for the truth, and he had found it. Here, in this
cabin, in the middle of a snowstorm, with Scully. 

He became determined to hear her call out "Fox" more than
once tonight.

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

"Maybe we should just hike out?" 

Daylight had come, and while the snow had stopped falling, a
heavy fog had settled over the cabin, and temperatures were
still in the low 20's, making rescue unlikely. The interior
of the cabin looked like a different place in daylight, and
Scully was ready to get back to work, despite her lack of
sleep. 

Sometime during the night, Scully had picked up the wet
clothes from the floor and hung them over the chairs by the
fire to dry. At another time, she and Mulder had found a pan
and heated a can of soup over the fire to eat. Both had also
made separate, and very quick, trips to the cold outhouse in
the back. The rest of the night had been spent in their
man-made cocoon under the covers of the bed. Sleep had been
rare. 

But now it was morning. Standing in front of the window
wearing nothing but Mulder's shirt, Scully turned to look at
him, sitting on the bed in nothing but boxers. He glanced up
at her question. "Scully, you can't even see the road out
there. One wrong turn, and we'll be hiking to Canada." 

"Well, maybe there's another cabin nearby. One with a phone.
I hate being out of touch like this!" It wasn't that Scully
was anxious to leave this haven in the woods, but work and
the Ross case beckoned. She walked over to sit next to
Mulder on the bed. He was paging through one of the novels
from the bookshelf: North and South, by John Jakes. "I've
read that," Scully told him. Then, "Do you think O'Neil and
Justin have found anything?" 

"I hope so," Mulder said, putting the book down and looking
at her. "If they didn't get anything on Ross, then that
means he knows we're on to him. He'll hide low until we get
tired of watching him, then start again. We can't let that
happen." 

"So let's go," Scully argued. "If we don't find a house or
something in a couple of hours, we'll come back here. It
can't hurt to try." 

Mulder sighed. "I guess." He stood and looked down at her.
"I'm not really anxious to get back to civilization, you
know." 

Scully smiled. "Me neither. But we've got a killer to
catch." 

Decided now, Mulder and Scully got dressed in their now dry
clothing. Mulder banked the fire, in case they ended up
coming back, and the two headed out into the fog. The car
was a huge, white lump in the middle of the clearing.
Evidence of last nights snowball fight had disappeared under
fresh snow. With a determined stride, Scully set out for the
road, which was evident by the gap in the trees. Mulder
followed, admiring the view from behind. 

They had left the clearing and entered the forest when they
heard the noise. 'CRACK' They reacted like the well trained
FBI agents they were and ducked down, drawing their weapons.
A loud crash followed the crack, and Scully relaxed,
re-holstering her gun on the small of her back. Mulder
looked at her. "What the hell was that?" 

"A tree branch," Scully answered. "The snow is so heavy,
it's breaking the tops of the trees off." Mulder looked up
and around at the surrounding pines, noticing how many were
bent at an unnatural angle. He stood up and returned his gun
to the holster on his right hip. Scully continued. "Even if
we do make it to a cabin, there's a good chance their phone
lines are down." She looked at Mulder. He shrugged and kept
walking. 

They hiked along what they hoped was the road for almost an
hour, but the snow was deep and tiring, and they weren't at
all sure they were going the right way. To make matters
worse, Scully was exhausted and more than a little sore. She
glared at Mulder's back; he appeared wide awake and moved
with his usual graceful ease. 'It's not fair,' she thought,
but she smiled anyway. She certainly didn't regret what she
had done, or what Mulder had done to her, to make her so
sore. Not one iota. 

Finally, Mulder stopped and turned to look at her. She put
her hands on her hips and cocked her head. "What?" 

He sighed. "Do we go on?" 

Scully knew she was freezing and incredibly tired. Being a
doctor, she knew she could very easily fall victim to
hypothermia any minute now. She shook her head. "Let's go
back." 

Side by side, they turned back, following their tracks back
through the snow. Back to the cabin.

*****

End 4/6