From: ephemeral@ephemeralfic.org Date: Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:39:45 -0600 (CST) Subject: Another 30 Seconds - FTF Revisited by Chariah Fox Source: direct Reply To: chariahfox@hotmail.com Title: Another 30 seconds Author: Chariah Fox Rated: NC-17 Disclaimer: Credit to 1013 and Fox. Summary: A response to the recently posted FTF kiss blooper. "You wanna tell yourself that so you can quit with a clear conscience, you can but you're wrong." The footsteps echoing down the hall served to punctuate the passionate words that assailed her. She turned to confront him, her face filled with an unreadable emotion. He stared down at her beseechingly, the dread written quite visibly on his face. "Why did they assign me to you in the first place Mulder? To debunk your work, to reign you in, to shut you down-" He was determined to get somewhere with this brewing dialogue. It wasn't often that they happened upon a deeper level of conversation; one weaved with feeling and sentiment. He had to take his chance, shake the pot and see what fell out. "But you saved me. As difficult and as frustrating as it's been sometimes, your goddamn strict rationalism and science have saved me a thousand times over." Her eyes gleamed as they moved back and forth like search lights, homing in on his pupils and curiously absorbing the information waiting there for her. He stood there momentarily quiet, the stench of defeat hanging around him like a toxic cloud. If she deserted him now he stood to lose everything good and positive in his meager life, a life so tragically neglected, when he happened upon his quest. "You kept me honest, you made me a whole person. I owe you everything, Scully you owe me nothing." It was all there sub textually; approval, gratitude, affection. Everything she had been too afraid to admit she was seeking from this man. Her brow furrowed and she dipped her chin slightly. She was unsure of what to say in response to his confession. He saved her the trouble by continuing in a softer tone. "I don't know if I wanna do this alone. I don't even know if I can." He paused to watch the tears rise to coat her eyes. They glittered at him, reflecting a shared grief and a yearning that she couldn't mask. He was the only person in her life who had the power to ask her to do almost anything and get what he wanted. She had followed him blindly and along the way lost family and friends, endured things that no person should ever have to think of, even in their darkest dreams. If he asked her to do it all again she wouldn't hesitate. Mulder had asked a lot, from her. Sadly he had never asked, for her. Apparently this appeared to be changing in light of her potential departure. This new development thrilled her and yet terrified her. She longed for nothing more than his attention, his desire and a definition for their relationship. Having her dream fulfilled had a potential downside; she would lose herself completely to him, his quest and the insanity of it all. At this moment she had a chance to get out and leave it far far behind. "And if I quit now, they win." There was no verbal response immediately forthcoming from Scully. She held his gaze for an extended moment. She should have known it was abandonment that he feared the most. His sister, his parents, the constant disrespect of narrow minded colleagues. When he was with Scully he got a break from all of that. She didn't agree with him very often but she always had respect for him. Lovers had come and left, frustrated with his inability to tame his workaholism despite everything else he had going for him, the charm, the sex, the romance. None of that had ever lead to a relationship that held him utterly physically and mentally entwined. Scully had changed all of that with her friendship. It took a friend, not a lover, to coax out of him a love so fierce and unwavering, it terrified him half the time. It was unknown territory for Fox Mulder. He never thought he could have grown to appreciate a smile quite like he appreciated Scully's. It came rare and unexpectedly at times when he found himself surfacing the murky waters of semi consciousness. It would shine down on him like a beacon, a lighthouse he could aim toward as the night in his mind became day. He wanted so much to make her smile, if only to affirm the life he held more dear than his own. He wasn't sure if she found what she was looking for during her observation of him or if something within her had finally broken free, but she blinked and seemed to come alive with the kiss of lash to cheek. She moved forward making her intention to embrace clear. Mulder accommodated her inside his arms and felt her press her face into his chest before turning her head to nuzzle her nose into his bicep. She let him hold her as the rush of emotion only he could invoke overpowered her senses momentarily. His arms were secure and inviting, the beat of his heart drummed lovingly beneath her cheek. It was during this charge that she had her moment of clarity; leaving this man was never an option. How could it be? He needed her. In the end that surpassed even her own desire to turn her back on the darkness. Recovering her senses enough for motion, she pulled back and cupped the back of his neck to indicate that she wasn?t going anywhere. Rising to the tips of her toes she drew him forward and placed a kiss upon his forehead. Her eyes closed due to the watery blur of her vision. Mulder could hear her laboured breathing and wondered if desire could possibly be the antagonist wreaking havoc in her lungs. His hands reached up to cup her jaw, his long fingers extending his hold to the back of her neck. It was in this position, faces close, eyes locked that they stood for what seemed an eternity. The sadness stamped so poignantly in his eyes earlier was now competing with unmistakable desire. She felt a nervous half smile rise to her lips. She had his complete attention; there was nowhere to hide this time. No smirk was going to get her out of this one. As he began to advance at a pace so exquisitely slow the reality of the moment set in. After five years of following and caring and falling in love with each other they had finally reached the point where nothing but physical expression would satisfy their need to communicate. Her lips parted in anticipation, damp and eager as the gap between them began to close. His nose brushed hers lightly on his journey. She was still riding the high of that morsel of contact when his mouth captured hers. An internal explosion of sorts caused her hips to jerk forward and eagerly press against him. The pleasure of moist full lips and curious tongue pleading seductively at her senses caused her head to roll back slightly. He simply followed her, never releasing her mouth from his sultry kiss. It was when her tongue confidently reached out to caress his that his hands slid down her sides to cup her ass. Approval hummed deep inside her chest as she felt herself being lifted. The kiss continued with a heart stopping intensity that increased with the moan Mulder gave when she wrapped her legs around his waist. With an agility that she would admire later he got them back up the hallway still joined at the mouth. The way he kicked the door shut behind them once inside the apartment was decidedly satisfied. He tore his lips from hers and gave a ragged pant. Before a word could pass between them she felt her back slam into the closed door. A sharp pang of desire struck her right where she wanted him when the hard length inside his jeans pressed wantonly between her legs. Using his pelvis to keep her lower half secured he reached out with his hands and yanked the jacket off her shoulders and down her arms. Another spark of pleasure emanating from their sensitive point of contact caused her to moan as he bucked his hips to pin her higher up against the door. Mulder started up a slow grind knowing that her clitoris would be swelling with desire beneath her clothes at the contact. He found a pulse rapidly beating against his lips when he pressed them to her neck. Everything looked so highly coloured and edible to Mulder in his state of giddy arousal. His lips and teeth found delight in her jaw and earlobes. His hands encountered heaven as they worked at the buttons of her blouse and discovered her breasts beneath. The delicate porcelain sizzled as his lips left a glistening path down to the line of fabric obscuring her breasts. Knowing that he should be gentle and not ruin her clothing during their first encounter, but too full of desire and greed to care; Mulder simply yanked the cups of her bra down so that she could spill free. A mutual moan was shared as he bowed his head and hungrily sucked a rosy puckered nipple into his mouth. He gleefully swirled his tongue around the peak before releasing it with an audible pop and moving onto the other one before it had a chance to feel neglected. Scully's husky voice reached his ears. It took him a moment to process the words, so engrossed was he in lavishing her breasts with dogged attention. "Bedroom Mulder. Please." Punctuating each word was a breathless pant. Mulder being a smart man, didn't need to be asked twice. Resisting the urge to race to the bedroom he calmly made his way there in what he hoped was a smooth performance. When he arrived at the foot of the bed he noticed she was cupping the back of her neck. "What's wrong?" His question was met with a glazed stare from his partner. "I think something stung me." She pulled her hand away from her neck and held it out to him. A furry bee wriggled in her palm. Mulder plucked it out of her hand and threw it away from the bed. He rubbed the back of her neck with gentle fingers. "It must have gotten in your shirt." "Mulder... Something's wrong." The End Notes: I just had to post a response to that fabulous kiss. I imagine This will be fodder for fan fiction for a long time to come.