Someday-Part 4/7
Summary and disclaimers in Part 1

*****

Most of the rest of the trip was uneventful. But then they
got to New Mexico. 

It was after sunset, which came noticeably earlier this far
south compared to the Black Hills. They had decided to drive
through the night, as the air conditioning wasn't always
working, and the desert in late July was not the coolest of
places. Somewhere around Truth or Consequences, Mulder's
stomach began to growl. He felt Scully's eyes on him, but
didn't look at her. Instead, he pulled into the parking lot
of a roadhouse called 'End of the Earth'. 

"Mulder, it's a bar." 

"Bars have food." 

"Yeah," she countered. "If you want to call piles of grease
and fat food." 

"I'm starving, and I'm betting this place has great
hamburgers." 

Scully shook her head in exasperation, but followed him in
anyway. Dark, smoky, with loud country music, it was your
typical, middle-of-the-desert watering hole. Mulder smiled,
thinking that with his beard, he fit right in. But as they
moved to a table, is smile began to fade. The crowd,
consisting mostly of men, was paying a little too much
attention to Scully. 

After ordering from a tall, leggy, large-chested red-head
(Mulder couldn't help but laugh at Scully's very dark look),
Scully commented, "I feel like I should be wearing a short,
leather skirt and a tube top." 

Mulder grinned at her. "Even with the hair, I just can't
picture that." Then he stood. "I'll be back." He turned and
headed for the men's room. 

When he came back a short time later, he wasn't at all
surprised to see someone hitting on Scully. Naturally,
jealousy was his first emotion, but curiosity overrode it
and he quietly walked over to the table to listen. 

"Come on, darlin'," the man, a big, burly biker type, was
saying. "Just one dance?" 

"I told you, I'm with someone." 

"Hey, you're not wearing a ring, so that means ya don't
belong to nobody. Just one dance." 

Scully turned ice blue eyes on him. "No." It was simple and
to the point. Heaving a big sigh, the guy turned and walked
off.

With a smirk, Mulder sat back down across from Scully. She
glared at him, blaming him for their present situation, no
doubt. He shrugged, but didn't say a word. As he had
guessed, his hamburger, when it came, was great. Scully had
settled for a bowl of chili, which, to Mulder's great
amusement, made her eyes water. They were almost finished
when he noticed a tall man with black hair and piercing blue
eyes staring at them from across the room. Or, more
specifically, staring at Scully. The glint in his eyes made
Mulder nervous. 

Soon, they stood to go. Mulder again wasn't surprised when
the man accosted them before they could reach the door. He
was beginning to think the bar hadn't been a good idea after
all. 

"Hey, pretty lady," the tall man said to Scully in a husky
voice. "What the hell are you doing with someone like him
when you could be with someone like me?" 

Scully smiled sweetly. "How original," she told him. "Are
you going to ask me what my sign is next?" 

The man simply laughed. "You're new here. I know I've never
seen you before." 

"Hey, Jake!" another man called out. "How can you tell that
when she's got all her clothes on?" 

The room erupted in laughter. But a few people looked
worried. The last thing they wanted was a fight. 

"Come on, babe," Jake continued. "I could show you things
you've only dreamed about." He grabbed Scully by the arm.
With a quick twist, she easily slipped our of his grasp. 

"Nothing you have could possibly interest me in the least."
Her tone was frigid. Ice Queen, Mulder thought, content for
now to let her handle the man. My Ice Queen. 

Scully started walking out and Mulder followed, trying hard
not to smile as he passed Jake. He didn't succeed. 

"Yeah, you just keep smiling, Mister. I would be, too, if I
was going home with a cunt like her." He turned his leer
back to Scully. "I'll bet she tastes as sweet as pie." 

Mulder's smile vanished. The use of that word, that one,
obscene word, to describe Scully had him seeing red. 

"Well?" Jake continued. "Is she?" 

Scully must have known what he was going to do before he
knew himself, because she tried to stop him. "Mulder, no!"
But she was too late.

Mulder spun around, his right fist connecting with Jake's
jaw with a 'SMACK' that echoed throughout the room. Jake
fell back, stunned, but he didn't go down. His eyes met
Mulder's and Mulder suddenly realized why Scully had tried
to stop him. He was committed to this fight until the end,
now. 

With a roar, Jake rushed him, his shoulder ramming Mulder in
the ribs, plowing him against the wall. He became conscious
of the cheering crowd that circled around them, but with the
breath knocked out of him, his eyes lost focus. His
training, however, was strong. He kicked upward with his
knee, shoving his opponent sideways as it connected. Jake
found himself off balance, and struggled to remain on his
feet. Jake's attention elsewhere was all Mulder needed to
get his breath back. With a left this time, he punched Jake
again. Jake recovered, and Mulder felt his own head jerk
back as Jake's fist connected. 

The man may have outweighed Mulder by a good 30 pounds, but
Mulder's agility, his training, and most of all, his
sobriety, was too much for Jake. Soon, Jake was on the
ground, groaning, not able to continue. 

Mulder stood straight, his ribs aching, blood dripping from
where his lip had split. He suddenly realized how silent it
had become. He looked for Scully and saw her still standing
by the door. Her face wore a mixture of shock, horror, and
something he wasn't ready to name. Her eyes met his, then
drifted down his body. He looked down to see what she was
looking at. During the fight, his jacket had gotten caught
behind his weapon. No wonder the room was so quiet; they
were afraid he was going to pull his gun and shoot somebody.
Mulder suddenly began to realize what a fool he had been.
The fight, combined with the no-longer-concealed weapon,
meant police would be arriving very soon. "Oh, Shit!" He
groaned. Then, without another word, he sprinted for the
door, grabbing Scully's arm on the way past. He didn't have
to drag her far, for once they got outside, she was running
full tilt on her own. They ran to the pick-up, which was
fortunately parked in a dark area of the lot, and drove off
without any headlights. No one followed.

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

Sheriff's Department 
Truth or Consequences, New Mexico 

Jake was fuming. First, he gets beaten up in front of all
his fellows, for the first time in ages. Then, his opponent
runs off, leaving him to deal with the police. Now, he sat
in a chair, an ice pack held up to one eye, trying to
explain the 'encounter' to a deputy without making himself
look like the guilty party. 

"Look, I'd never seen them before. He and the broad were
obviously not from around here." 

"What did he look like?" the Deputy asked patiently. 

"Tall, 'bout six feet, not as tall as me. Skinny. Dark hair
and beard." He paused. "When I saw the gun, I immediately
thought 'cop'. I guess it was the way he wore it." It would
explain why he beat me up so easily, too, he thought to
himself. 

"What about the woman? You said he was with a woman." Jake
sat silent. "You know," the Deputy continued. "The one you
guys were fighting over. What did she look like?" 

"Short, blonde, a bit prissy. Nice bod, but nothing
spectacular." Jake paused again. "Come to think of it, she
coulda been a cop, too." 

The Deputy made notes, then looked at Jake again. "Do you
have any idea what their names were?" 

"No, man! I told you! I've never seen them before!" Jake met
the Deputy's glare with one of his own. Then, he remembered
something. "Wait a minute. She called him something, just
before he hit me the first time." He thought back. "I think
it was 'Mudler' or 'Moulder'. No, no! It was 'Mulder'." 

The Deputy wrote down the name, then stood. "Hey, Luke," he
called across the room. "Run a check through the computer on
a 'Mulder', will you?" 

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

In the middle of the desert in New Mexico, about 3 miles
from the Arizona state line, is a small, run-down motel
called The Last Resort. After driving north for about 45
minutes, then south again, hoping to keep any pursuers from
learning their real route, Mulder and Scully settled there
for the night. However, things were not very settled at the
moment. 

Scully was angry. Very angry. As angry as Mulder had ever
seen her. And not just at Mulder, but at herself as well.
When she recalled yelling out 'Mulder' just before the
fight, she had berated herself as hard as she had Mulder.
Now, she paced the small room, arms folded, her eyes
blazing. Mulder was surprised her hair hadn't turned red
again due to her fury. He sat through it all, sitting on the
end of the bed, watching her with a washcloth wrapped around
ice held up to his jaw. Trying hard not to think how sexy
she looked angry. 

"I can't believe you did that!" She said for the umpteenth
time. "What were you thinking?!" 

"I wasn't thinking, that's the problem!" Mulder moaned. "I'm
sorry. I was angry. When I heard him say that word, I got
pissed!" 

Scully stopped her pacing and glared at him. "They'll report
this, you know. It will be known that we look different now.
It will be known what part of the country we're in. It's not
much, but at the same time, it's too much! Damn it, Mulder!
How could you?!" Her voice had risen steadily through her
short tirade. And again, despite the situation, Mulder felt
a nudge from below his belt. 

"What else can I say?" he asked her. "Look, maybe there's a
chance they didn't call the cops. I'm sure I wasn't the only
person in that bar carrying a concealed weapon. Or, maybe no
one heard you shout my name. Maybe they'll let it slide by." 

Scully said nothing, but her expression said, 'Yeah, right!' 

"Well, we'll just keep going, straight to this Dr. Wood, and
keep a low profile." 

Scully shook he head. "Isn't that what we've been doing?"
She sighed, and Mulder saw the anger drain from her. "I
guess the honeymoon's over."

Mulder's eyebrows rose. "Honeymoon?" He stood and walked
toward her. "Darlin', I still have yet to do things to you
you ain't never done before." 

Scully smiled faintly at Mulder's parody of Jake. She looked
up at him. "I hate to admit it, but..." 

"But what?" 

"Watching you fight like that. For my 'honor', if you will.
It was..." 

Mulder smiled. "Yes?" He thought he knew what she was trying
to say, but wanted to hear her say it. 

Scully sighed. "It kind of turned me on." She tried her
hardest to look regretful, but it didn't work. 

He wrapped his arms around her. "Just be gentle. My ribs
hurt."

"Oh, poor baby," Scully said sarcastically. Then she stepped
out of his arms and started to pull his shirt up over his
head. Mulder lifted his arms to assist, wincing. Then he
shivered as her soft hands began running gently along his
ribs, which were already showing signs of bruising. She bent
and kissed the worst of the bruises. 

"I think you'll be fine," she whispered. She slowly started
to unbuckle his belt. He backed towards the bed behind him,
Scully following. 

"Scully," he said, his voice rough. 

"Hmm?" 

"As my reward for being your 'knight', can you do something
for me tonight?" 

With a small smile on her face, she asked, "Like what?" 

"Call me 'Fox'." 

She laughed outright. Nearly every time they made love, she
ended up calling him 'Fox'. Gently, she grabbed his lower
lip between hers, running her tongue along the small cut
there. Mulder groaned, the sound a mixture of pain and
pleasure. "Only if you do your job right," she threatened
him.  

"Oh, I'll be sure to," he replied in a husky whisper. With a
quick move that made Scully gasp, he grabbed her by the
waist, spun her around, and literally threw her on the bed.
Scully gave a delighted laugh, thrilling Mulder; oh, how he
loved to hear her laugh! With speed that would have
impressed a NASCAR pit crew, they undressed. Mulder joined
her on the bed. 

She wrapped her arms around him, lifting her face to meet
his lips, but he didn't kiss her. Instead, he lowered his
head, grasping her nipple in his mouth and sucking hard.
Scully arched her back, letting out a hissing breath. With a
smile, Mulder began working his way down her body. He felt
her tense, but continued his journey, making sure the
bristles from his thin beard rubbed against every inch of
her he passed. She was breathing hard, but lying still, when
he reached her center. Though their love-making has always
been passionate and a little wild, they had yet to go this
far. He looked up at her questioningly. She was watching
him, her eyes dark. She gave him a slight nod. Meeting her
eyes one last time, he lowered his head, kissing her wet
core, using lips, tongue and teeth to drive her mad. She
wriggled and bucked beneath him. He grasped her hips, trying
to hold her still, but her taste, combined with her panting
cries, were driving him just as wild.

"Mulder!" Scully screamed. "Now!" She was tugging on his
hair, her whole body arching violently off the bed. He
stopped his ministrations, causing her to groan in both
relief and despair. He slid his body up hers, taking her
lips this time, feeling her tongue thrust into his mouth at
the same moment he thrust into her wet, swollen channel. She
screamed again, but it wasn't 'Mulder' she said. With a
smile, he began to pound into her until his own release made
him scream and her smile.

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

The blue Taurus rental sped down the highway. Cat was at the
wheel; she rarely got to drive when she was with Mulder.
Monroe was studying a map in the passenger seat. They were
headed to New Mexico, where their first, and so far only,
lead was. They had gone to Spokane first, but no one there
knew anything...or they just weren't talking. But now it had
been confirmed that Mulder had been spotted in a bar fight
in New Mexico. 

"What the hell are they doing in New Mexico?" she asked
aloud. It was a rhetorical question, but Monroe answered
anyway. 

"You know, Roswell. Crashed alien spaceships. That sort of
thing." Monroe never looked up from the map. 

Cat glanced at him. "I thought you didn't know anything
about that kind of stuff." 

"Hey, everyone in America knows about Roswell, whether they
believe it or not." He looked out the window. "Maybe their
not 'in' New Mexico. Maybe they were just passing through." 

"On the way to where?" 

Monroe shrugged. "You know Mulder pretty well. What do you
think?"

"The guy the county sheriff described had a beard. That's
not the Mulder I know." She thought for a bit. "Why are they
hiding? What do they have? Information, or something more
concrete?" 

Monroe sighed, shaking his head. 

"Well, you know Agent Scully pretty well. What would it take
to get her to up and leave her job like this?" 

"The deputy said the woman with Mulder was blonde. That's
not the Scully I know." His tone was dry. 

Cat sent him a glare. "Monroe, please. Help me out here?" 

He looked at her with a smirk on his face, his blue eyes
flashing. "Sorry." He shrugged again. "It's got to be
something she's dealt with before. Something extremely
important. And dangerous." 

They sat quietly in the vehicle for a moment. "Wait a
minute," Cat said. "Something," she repeated, emphasizing
the 'thing'. "What if it's the vaccine?" 

Monroe furrowed his brow. "Vaccine for what?" 

"The alien virus. Mulder told me about it after he found me
reading Scully's file one day." She paused as Monroe started
laughing. "Come on! I'm sure you heard about what's happened
to her in the past. How she was infected with a virus and
nearly died." 

"Yeah, but alien?" 

"Whatever. What if they have the vaccine for it? Where would
they go?" 

Monroe quieted, thinking. "Scully's a doctor. She would want
to find another doctor to help her. A friend most likely." 

"One the Conspiracy doesn't know about," Cat murmured. 

"Conspiracy?" 

"Never mind. I'll explain it to you later."

*****

End 4/7