NEW: You Bet Your Life - An Elemental X-file (3 of 4)
Paul and Barbara Cox
See part 1 for Summary and Disclaimers and Explanations
Chapter 9 by Piper pipe...@hotmail.com
5 required elements: Pittsburgh Steelers, moisturizing
cream, Jupiter, roller coaster, girly scream
Scully's breath caught in her throat, her gaze locking with
Mulder's. She searched his eyes, trying to determine whether
he was serious or not. But they gave nothing away. They held
her gaze unwaveringly, patiently waiting for her response.
Belatedly, Scully realized she would have to say something,
anything, before the silence became uncomfortable.
Then the phone rang.
<Saved by the bell>
The cordless was on the end table next to Mulder, and Scully
looked at him expectantly. But Mulder made no move to get
the phone, his eyes holding the same intense look from
moments before. The look unnerved her, and to avoid it, she
leaned over him to pick up the phone. As soon as she lifted
the phone from the cradle, Fox Mulder did something that
shocked the hell out of her.
He put his hands on her waist.
Scully gasped, the phone never even reaching her ear. She
twisted her upper body to face him, and her eyes locked with
his. His eyes were a deep shade of gray, filled with warmth,
love, fear, and desire. And they all took her breath away.
Softly, never breaking eye contact, Mulder spoke.
"You didn't answer my question."
Electric tension flowed between them, Scully's body immobile
in his tender grasp. If she lowered her body just an inch,
she would be secure in his lap. And so help her, she wanted
to be. She wanted to so badly. Just as her body was about to
make contact with his, a tinny sound interrupted them.
"Dana?"
The sound came from the forgotten phone in Scully's hand,
and a blush suffused her entire body as she realized what
she had been about to do. Mulder's eyes filled with regret,
but Scully did not see it because she had already released
herself from his grasp and moved away from him,
embarrassment causing her to turn her back towards him.
"Mom? I'm here. I accidentally dropped the phone."
"It's ok, honey. I was just calling to tell you that Trey's
mom dropped him by this weekend since she had to leave town
in an emergency. Since I'm going to church tomorrow and Trey
really doesn't want to go, I was wondering if you could keep
him tomorrow."
"Sure, Mom, no problem. He can hang out at my apartment with
me. I'll rent a couple of movies for him and we can watch
them together."
"Actually honey, he was kind of hinting about the local
amusement park."
Scully groaned. "Mom, you know how much I hate roller
coasters. Can't you change his mind?"
"Sorry sweetie, but I already promised him. He was so sad
that his Mom had to leave him, and I didn't want to
disappoint him more."
Scully bit back another groan and sighed. "That's fine, Mom.
You did the right thing. Bring him by before you go to
church tomorrow, ok? We'll go to the amusement park."
"Thanks, Dana. I knew I could count on you. Goodnight,
sweetie. I love you."
"I love you too, Mom. Good night."
As Scully pressed the off button on the phone, the light
went out in the room and the entire apartment was filled
with darkness. Scully gasped and turned around quickly. And
then she screamed.
"Whoa, Scully, calm down! It's just me! See?"
Mulder flipped the light back on again, dropping the
flashlight in his hand on the table. Despite the gunk on his
face, his smirk was obvious.
"Was that a girly scream, Agent Scully?"
"Mulder, what the hell do you think you're doing, wearing
all that...that white goo on your face and shining a
flashlight on it? What are you trying to look like, an alien
from Mars or something?"
"Actually Scully, this white goo just happens to be the
moisturizing cream I found in your bathroom, which I must
add is a step up from the green stuff you had before. And I
was actually trying to look like an alien from Jupiter, not
Mars, thank you very much. AND you're avoiding the question.
Was that a girly scream?"
Scully glared at Mulder. "I do not scream like a girl."
Mulder grinned. "Uh-huh, Scully. You just look like one."
That earned him the evil eye, and his grin widened. "So you
scream like a girl and you're afraid of roller coasters. You
just keep unfolding like a flower, Scully."
"Oh, so now you're eavesdropping on my conversations?"
"C'mon Scully, it was kind of hard *not* to hear you.
Besides, what's this about an amusement park tomorrow? I
thought we were going to watch the Steelers game at my
place."
Scully sighed. "Remember my godson that I told you about?
The one with the inflatable chair fetish? Well, he's staying
with my Mom for the weekend and really wants to go to the
amusement park. So she's going to bring him by in the
morning and I'm going to take him. That's all."
"Oh." Mulder's face fell, and he backed away. "Well, I guess
I should leave then. I mean, I know you need your sleep and
all, since you'll probably have a long day tomorrow. I hope
you have fun, Scully." He turned away, releasing a sorrowful
sigh.
Scully caught his arm and turned him back to face her, a
small smile tugging at her lips. "Mulder, if you want to go,
you can just ask. You don't have to give me a pouty look and
pretend to leave."
Mulder grabbed his chest dramatically. "Scully, you wound
me. You think I was pretending?"
Scully grinned at him. "You really think I believe you would
have left this apartment with all that gunk on your face?"
With that, she handed him a Kleenex, and he began wiping his
face off. "So, do you want to go tomorrow?"
"And have the chance to hear you scream like a girl again? I
wouldn't miss it for the world..."
Mulder ducked as the entire box of Kleenex came flying at
his head, and he smirked at her. "I'll be here bright and
early tomorrow morning, Scully. Till then, good night."
Scully followed him to the door, the light from the hallway
illuminating both of their faces as he opened it. He stepped
out into the hallway and turned towards her. Scully tilted
her chin upward, prepared to ward off another one of his
teasing remarks. But Mulder surprised her. He lowered his
head and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"Sweet dreams, Scully."
Conclusion by barb (alter ego) pab...@airmail.net
We took this story in so many wonderful directions that I was
allowed to come back and finish it up to wrap everything
together for closure.
5 required elements: Nirvana t-shirt, confetti, having
trouble finding a parking space, college professor and roller
coaster
Mulder had arrived back at Scully's apartment Sunday morning
in time to catch the pre-game football shows on Fox and CBS.
While they waited for Trey, Scully relinquished the remote
control and left him happily channel hopping while she
straightened the apartment and did a load of towels. Monday
was a government holiday and she had no intention of
spending it doing chores.
She paused. So, what would she be doing tomorrow? Mulder
hadn't mentioned any plans, no cases were pending and the
final round of the bowling tournament wasn't until Saturday.
After folding the last towel, she gathered them up and
headed to her linen closet.
"Say Mulder," she called out but got no farther, cut off by
the doorbell.
"You want me to get that?" Mulder called back.
"Would you please - I've just got to get these towels put up
and I'll be right there.
Eleven-year old Trey blinked in surprise when confronted
with this stranger at his godmother's door.
"You must be Trey," the tall stranger said with a smile and
put out his hand.
Confused, Trey hesitantly reached out to take it, only
slightly relieved that the man knew his name. "Where's
Dana?" he asked, trying to mask his discomfort.
"She'll be right out. Come on in. My name's Fox Mulder."
He guided the bewildered boy over to the couch. "So, do you
like football?"
Trey nodded. "My favorite team was Denver, but since
Elway's gone and Terrell Davis is out for the season, I've
been rooting for St. Louis."
"Stick with a winning team, huh?" Mulder said with a grin.
"What about Pittsburgh?"
Trey thought for a moment before answering. "Well, Bettis
is pretty cool, but their offense hasn't taken off like
they'd planned yet. Kordell Stewart is trying"
Mulder nodded. "You've got a good eye," he said
appreciatively.
Trey sat up a little straighter at the praise. "Thanks."
"Hello, Trey," Scully said as she joined them. "I see you
two have met."
"Trey and I were talking a little football." Mulder stood
up. "Are we ready to go?"
Scully nodded and soon they were on the road.
"Are you an FBI agent like Dana?" Trey asked from the back
seat.
Mulder glanced back at him in the rear-view mirror. "Yep,"
he answered. "I'm Dana's partner."
Sitting next to him, Scully did a double take. <Did he just
call me Dana, without benefit of emotional upheaval
present?>
Mulder glanced over at her with a wink and a smile.
In the back seat, Trey was suitably impressed. "Wow! This
is so cool. Do you have your badge with you, Mr. Mulder?"
Mulder winced and Scully bit back the giggle that threatened
to escape.
"Just call me Mulder, Trey. Everyone does."
"Oh - wow! Okay. Thanks," he gushed as he was hit by a
violent case of hero-worship. An FBI agent - and he got to
call him by his last name - just his last name.
Scully thanked Mulder with a look. Mulder received it loud
and clear and winked again.
"So, Trey, I see you're wearing a Nirvana T-shirt. Are you
a fan?" he asked the boy.
"Oh, yeah. I've got all their stuff. Are you?" he asked
hopefully.
Mulder shook his head. "Actually, I listen to some of the
more classic rock. Eric Clapton's earlier music and Jimi
Hendrix to name a couple."
Trey nodded, wishing that he had another shirt to wear and
vowing to research older rock and buy every Clapton CD out
there.
After Mulder stopped for gas, he asked if Scully would drive
the rest of the way.
"Okay, Mulder, what's up?" she asked suspiciously.
"Nothing. Trey and I wanted to talk some more," he replied
casually and before Scully could protest, he and Trey were
in the back seat.
As Scully circled the parking lot, looking for a space in
that didn't require a twenty-minute walk, she listened with
one ear, trying to hear what Mulder and Trey were whispering
about. Everytime she looked back, they were huddled
together, laughing conspiratorially.
"All right, you guys - what's going on back there?" she
called out, when her curiosity could no longer be denied.
"Just guy stuff, Dana," Mulder replied innocently.
"Yeah, Dana - guy stuff," Trey piped in on a cue from
Mulder.
Scully blew out an exasperated breath. Oh man, what was she
in for?
It didn't take long for her to find out. Mulder had
elicited an unexpected girly scream from her last night and
he had plotted with Trey to see how many more they could get
today.
Considering the level of imagination and technology
currently applied to roller coasters and the fact that she
hadn't been on any amusement park rides in over ten years,
she was completely unprepared -not- to scream. And like a
college professor with a new research project, Mulder tried
every ride in the park.
Of course, seeing the pure joy on both Mulder's and Trey's
faces had encouraged her to just let herself go and she
played the girly part with enthusiastic abandon. She did
try to turn the table on Mulder by comparing one of the
rides to his driving and thus causing her cries.
"Oh, ha ha, Agent Scully. I'm sure that's it." Mulder
nudged Trey with a wink. "Right, Trey?"
"Uh - oh - yeah - right Mulder."
Scully stared down at Trey with a smile. Yep, he was gone -
totally under Mulder's spell. He could tell the boy just
about anything at this point and it would be accepted as the
gospel truth.
The drive home from the amusement park had found a special
place in Mulder's heart and would live forever in his
memory.
Trey had fallen asleep minutes after leaving the parking lot
and Scully had not been far behind.
Obviously exhausted by the day's events, she had originally
fallen asleep siting up and leaning her head against the
window using her lightweight jacket as a pillow.
Looking over at her with obvious affection that he never
showed her while she was awake, Mulder managed to shrug out
of his own jacket, intending to cover her. A sharp turn in
the road, however, pulled Scully's limp form away from the
window and Mulder was hard pressed to keep her from falling
over as he kept the car steady. He pulled to the side of the
road and gently eased Scully down until her head was nestled
on his lap. She stirred restlessly, unintelligible sounds
came from the back of her throat and Mulder tenderly stroked
her hair and shoulders, shushing her softly until she
quieted back down. Only when he was sure that she was again
sleeping soundly, did he resume their drive, his heart
racing wildly. Thankful beyond words that she hadn't
awakened, he marveled at the picture she presented, her
profile softly lit by the dashboard lights.
<What was that song - "Paradise by the Dashboard Lights"? >
<Oh, yeah - that was a classic. > He grinned.
Awestruck, his eyes were unable to stay on the road and he
was beginning to think that he'd have to pull over again or
risk killing them all while he gazed, yes, gazed at his
partner.
His hand finally compromised with his eyes and with the
gentlest of touches, he traced the fingers of his right hand
ever so delicately across Scully's face. Using his
sensitive fingertips to "see" her face - the firm brow, the
silky soft eyelashes, the tender skin of her eyelids, down
her shapely nose to the small indentation above her lip. He
sighed as he felt for the first time, the tiny mole there,
feeling her breath puff quietly on his exploring fingers.
He moved to her full, sensual lips that had been featured so
prominently in his dreams, trailing easily across the
graceful curve of her jaw and her cheek.
Oh God - stop the presses - release the doves, throw the
tickertape and confetti and shoot off the fireworks - Dana
Scully was asleep in his lap! A picture of perfect
relaxation and contentment and Fox Mulder was almost crying
tears of joy.
Mulder had decided to drive straight to Maggie's house and
his prayers were further answered when Scully remained
asleep as he eased himself out of the car. He gathered Trey
up and carried him to the front door, smiling at the look on
Maggie's face.
"Out like a light," he whispered.
"I see that," she whispered back with a grin. "Where's
Dana?"
"Also out like a light."
Maggie shook her head, laughing softly. "Well, come on and
let's get this one to bed."
She led him to the guestroom and quickly turned back the
covers. Mulder lay the boy down and Maggie deftly removed
his shoes, while he eased off the jeans. He watched Maggie
tuck him in, kissing him softly on the cheek, then motioned
him to follow her out.
"Is Dana all right?" she asked at the front door.
"Just tired - one too many roller coasters and trying to
keep up with an eleven-year old boy has got nothing on
working for the government," he joked reassuringly.
Maggie nodded in understanding. "Well, you two better get
home. Don't you have to work tomorrow?"
Mulder shook his head. "Government holiday."
"Good." Maggie said. "Well, thank you for helping Dana
with Trey and please drive carefully."
"I will," he assured her, "I'll make sure Dana gets tucked
in safely."
He froze.
<Oh shit! Tell me I didn't just say that to Maggie Scully.
Tell me I didn't just tell Dana's mom that I'd tuck her
daughter in. > He wanted to die.
But Maggie just smiled sweetly and patted his arm. "I know
you will, Fox. I know you will."
They arrived at Mulder's apartment without incident. Scully
continued to sleep peacefully and he was eternally grateful.
Taking her to his apartment without telling her had been a
spur of the moment idea spawned by a plan he had hastily
devised. Maybe it wasn't the most thought-out plan, maybe
there were enough holes to drive a herd of cattle through,
but since Scully was still asleep, he figured he had a
better than average chance of making it work.
Still and all, he had a pretty good idea what Scully's
reaction would be if she woke up before he was ready.
Fate, however, smiled down on him for once and he was able
to get her out of the car and up to his apartment. It
occurred to him that he had never held her in his arms quite
like this. Never cradled her sleeping body so close to his
own, her head tucked securely under his chin, snuggling
contentedly.
She had only been carried by him once before - in that
frozen spaceship and of course, that was like comparing
apples and oranges.
He maneuvered her into his bedroom and carefully laid her
down. Through it all, what finally caused her to awaken was
when he removed her shoes.
Blinking sleepily, she tried to lift her head. "Mulder - "
she mumbled. "What - ?"
"Ssh - it's okay, Scully. You're in bed. I'm just taking
off your shoes," Mulder whispered quietly and
reassuringly.
"Oh - okay." She sunk back on the pillow, but a second
later was trying to rise back up. "Trey -"
"He's been dropped off at your mom's house. It's okay. Go
back to sleep." He stroked her hair and Scully sighed
happily.
"Good night, Mulder," she murmured, on the edge of sleep.
"Good night, Scully," Mulder responded, struggling not to
laugh. <Okay, so I didn't tell her whose bed - but hey, she
didn't ask. > He set her shoes by the side of the bed, then
bent over to place a kiss on her temple. Quietly he slipped
out and shut the door behind him.
Not quite asleep yet, Scully realized that she was still
wearing her jeans and awkwardly managed to slide them off
without leaving the warmth of the covers.
<That's better, > she thought hazily and went immediately
back to sleep.
Lying on his couch, the TV on, the volume low, Mulder
wondered if he really thought that he'd get any sleep at all
with his partner sleeping in his bed.
Almost every fiber of his being wanted to get up off the
damn couch, walk through that door and lie down on his bed.
He wanted to pull her close to him and spoon like baby cats
as he buried his face in her silky auburn hair. Or maybe
have her facing him, so that when she opened those crystal
blue eyes, he could fall into their depths and never return.
He sighed and stayed exactly where he was. He had to. If
he was going to sleep with Scully, he wanted her aware and
he wanted to see the desire in her eyes - affirming her wish
to have him there.
What he'd done tonight was very close to crossing the line.
And even though he was quite ready to cross it, hell, leap
the damn thing, he was not prepared to cross it alone.
So with thoughts of Scully dancing behind his closed eyes,
he somehow succeeded in drifting off to sleep, a tiny smile
touching his lips.
<Wait 'til Scully finds out what I have planned for
tomorrow, > was his last waking thought.
Scully stretched lazily and luxuriously, rolling slowly onto
her back. It was sheer heaven to wake up on your own. No
cell phone ringing, no one pounding on your door, no
jangling alarm clock. She rolled back over to bury her face
in the pillow. Of course, it didn't hurt that her sleep had
been filled with very unpartner-like dreams of Mulder. They
were so -real- it was almost frightening.
She breathed deeply. She recognized his unique scent and
her body was still tingling as she relived his caresses and
kisses. A soft moan escaped her lips. Dreams. Always
dreams. What about dreams coming true for once? Restlessly
she tossed under the sheets, eyes remaining closed, not yet
ready to abandon her fantasy dream world.
<For instance, > she thought, continuing to rail against the
injustice, <why do I have to wake up alone in bed.
Everything else is so perfect - a day off, no alarm clock,
surrounded by visions of Mulder, so real I can smell him - >
Scully froze. Time stood still as her thought processes
took off with the speed of light, as did her breathing. Her
heart began pounding in her chest hard enough to make her
ears hurt and her blood pumped at an alarming rate, roaring
through her veins like wildfire. Her memory struggled to
piece it all together while her body seemed intent on losing
control.
<Trey - roller coasters - Mulder! Oh my God! What had
happened? What in God's name had happened? > She was in
bed and had absolutely no recollection of getting there.
Her hands reached down of their own volition and she moaned.
<Oh God! > Her jeans were gone! <Please. Please God, tell
me - >
<Open your eyes, Dana. >
Scully tried desperately to ignore the command. She somehow
knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that things weren't going to
get any better by doing that.
<Open your eyes. >
Her breath coming in short painful gasps, she finally
obeyed.
<OhGodOhGodOhGod - >
She felt lightheaded.
<Oh God - Mulder's room. >
<Oh God - his bed. >
She jerked her head over - alone. She really was alone.
<Oh God! >
Like a shot she was out of the bed - staring at it like it
was going to reach out for her. She struggled desperately
to remember. Why couldn't she remember?
The realization that she was standing in Mulder's room
stunned her completely. She swayed unsteadily on her feet,
her knees threatening to buckle.
The silence was shattered by a knock on the door, sounding
like a gunshot to her shattered nerves. She wheeled around,
her heart leaping into her throat.
"Scully?" Mulder called softly. "Are you awake?"
"Mulder?" she squeaked, her voice a full octave higher than
usual.
Mulder was grinning broadly as he pushed the door partially
ajar and peeked in. "Hey, Scully - " He stopped. Anything
he was going to say vanished without a trace.
They stared at each other. Scully was still unable to put
all the pieces together and was unbelievably confused.
Mulder was in a state of instant arousal at the sight of his
partner standing before him wearing only a t-shirt and
socks.
<Underwear - she's got her underwear on - right? >
Her sleep-tousled hair framed her face alluringly and her
eyes were still puffy with sleep. And she was the sexiest
thing he'd ever seen in his life.
Scully found her voice first. "Mulder! What the hell is
going on?" She stared him down, blue eyes blazing and her
hands on her hips.
Mulder was presently hiding his lower body behind the door,
not trusting himself to keep control. His voice too,
threatened to betray him in this time of need.
"Uh - Scully - uh - I'll - uh - be right out her when you're
- uh - ready." He swallowed hard and backed quickly out.
He staggered backwards until he found the couch and
collapsed bonelessly.
<Was she magnificent or what! >
He closed his eyes. Scully was going to kill him and he
hadn't even gotten to tell her of the plan.
Scully stared after him. And then it hit her. A ton of
bricks crashed down upon her.
She didn't even have to look.
She knew. Of course she knew.
Her jeans were on the floor. Of course they were. Where
else would they be?
Groaning painfully, she sank to the bed, cradling her head
in her hands.
<Oh God - now what should she do? >
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