From: Lisa Weaver Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 12:47:18 -0500 Source: direct Barren Souls Part 5 of 7 Scully thought to herself in a panic. She ripped her kitchen apart fumbling for something to make, then she dashed here and there putting things away and cleaning up in a hurry. Luckily her apartment was already tidy, so she didn't have much to do. <...I guess this is when being anal pays off...> she thought sarcastically to herself. She went to her room to put something on besides sweats and a ratty t-shirt. She unconsciously grabbed a suit first, she thought as she flipped past some dresses... finally she huffed impatiently and slammed her closet doors shut, deciding to just wear the old standard - blue jeans and a sweater. Later, as she stood looking in the mirror fussing with her hair and makeup, it occurred to her that she was primping - primping for a hot date with a *woman*. Scully stood for a moment and stared at herself in the mirror... she asked herself. <...I'm going to be a lesbian... a dyke... a butch...> all the crude slang words that she'd ever heard went whizzing through her head, and she had to smile and laugh a little, despite herself. she said to herself as she turned her face sideways to the right and then left. She studied her profile, shifting her eyebrows up and down and looking at her lips... <...I don't feel like a dyke... I don't think I *look* like a dyke...> she thought to herself as she pushed her hair back away from her face, staring and studying herself. she asked herself. she pondered. She wished it wasn't such a huge issue... she wished that people could just be happy for you because you found someone you care about... someone who is good *for* you as well as good *to* you... why does the *sexual* aspect have to be such a big issue? ...why couldn't people just mind their own damn business? <...listen to me... I'm already becoming a gay-rights activist... > Scully thought as she rolled her eyes at herself. She wondered what her family would think. If her father were alive... god... Scully rolled her eyes at that thought. To say that he would have been 'disappointed' was putting it *mildly*. He would have *freaked out* - no question. Her mother... she would be upset... confused... she'd blame herself for "doing something wrong"... Scully could hear it all. Would she eventually come around? ...Scully couldn't answer that. Her mother was old-fashioned and god-fearing, so, perhaps not. And Bill and Charlie... no... they probably wouldn't understand either... they were too much like their father. Melissa... she would have understood... she would have supported Scully... she would have been happy for her... Scully thought sadly. And Mulder... what would he think? What would he say? Would he treat her differently? Actually, he probably would be fine with it. Mulder may be off-the-wall, but he was Mr. "I'm Open to All Possibilities" afterall, so perhaps he wouldn't care in the slightest. <...and I *still* think he'd be turned-on by it,> Scully thought as she rolled her eyes again. A light knocking on her door jerked her out of her reverie. Her eyes bulged with the realization that Anne was here, and she quickly fluffed her hair one last time, then dashed out to answer the door. The knocking sounded again, and Scully stopped just short of grasping the doorknob to expel one last deep breath. Gathering her wits and her control, she opened the door. Scully couldn't help but smile broadly at the sight of Anne's curly hair and lanky figure. Anne smiled shyly and said a quick "hi" as Scully opened the door wider and bid her to come in. Scully's apartment was pretty much as she expected - small, orderly, clean, conservative. "This is really nice," Anne said as she looked around and removed her jacket. "Oh, thanks... sometimes I think it's, uhm, a bit... plain..." Scully mumbled as she disposed of Anne's coat. Anne continued to say things about the apartment, but Scully was only half-listening... she couldn't stop shooting sideways glances at Anne. The sight of her in the doorway sent chills up and down Scully's spine, and now that she was standing beside her, looking around her apartment, Scully actually felt dizzy. Her hands were trembling, and her stomach was doing back-flips. "... it's really very homey and comfortable-looking." Anne finished, noticing the look on Scully's flushed face. Scully flashed a quick nervous smile and shoved her hands in her back pockets. "Uhm... well, come and sit down... I, uh, made us some things to eat," Scully said as she led Anne to the sofa and then scampered off into the kitchen. Anne turned to see her disappear hurriedly. Anne thought with a frown. Anne told herself as she looked around the living room. Anne got up and looked at the photographs that were sitting around, and the books and decorations... she wanted to learn what she could about Dana. In the meantime, Scully was trying desperately to get ahold of herself in the kitchen. she scolded to herself. <...I'm acting like a complete nervous wreck... idiot! ...relax...> she mumbled to herself as she grabbed all the munchies and headed back out to her guest. "Good god, you didn't have to go to all this trouble!" Anne said with shock as Scully appeared with her arms full of little sandwiches and assorted plates of goodies. Scully blushed and lied, "Oh it's no problem, besides, I didn't really eat anything either." Scully said. she groaned internally. They sat down on the sofa and nibbled on the food while making small-talk and chatting idly about their work week. It took a little while, but they eventually began to relax and get comfortable with each other. It was obvious that Anne was exhausted, making her more sedate than usual. She had dark circles under her eyes and they looked terribly sunken-in. Scully actually felt bad for asking her to come over; she probably would rather be in bed. Looking at Anne's pale, weary face, Scully still thought that she was uniquely attractive. Anne sat with her long legs crossed in a perfectly lady-like fashion, twisting her ankle around and making her shoe slip on and off the sole of her sockless foot. Her hair wasn't pulled back, for a change, and she unconsciously ran her fingers through it, making the long curls tumble carelessly around her face. She had no makeup on tonight, and her skin looked ivory-white. Scully observed her carefully and surmised that she didn't look like a dyke or a butch either... the stupidity of her own silly thoughts and observations about each of them nearly made Scully laugh out loud as she forced herself to look away from Anne for a moment. When she looked back up again, Anne was smiling knowingly at her, like she knew what she was thinking. Anne's soft features were tired, but her eyes still sparkled like a deep cerulean sea under the heavy lids, entrancing Scully every time she looked at her. Scully nearly felt compelled to reach out and feel her hair... her skin... her face... she wondered if all of it was as soft as it looked. And... she wanted to feel her lips... she wanted to kiss her again, like the soft, chaste kiss they shared before. It was all Scully could think about as she watched Anne talk and eat. Much as she feared it, Scully knew that she would have to be the one to initiate something - Anne would be too cautious to make any kind of move. Scully internally scolded herself to do something about her feelings for a change, rather than just sit there like a bump on a log. She could feel her palms growing sweaty as she tried desperately to muster up some courage. Anne could tell that Dana was watching her. She supposed that she was studying her, still trying to make up her mind about what she wanted. That was okay... Anne certainly understood where she was coming from. She remembered back to when she found herself attracted to a woman for the first time... she was so confused... so unsure... so afraid. She knew exactly what Dana was going through, and she wished somehow that she could ease her turmoil. One thing was for certain though; she knew that she would not be the one to make any moves - it had to be Dana's decision, and she would let her lead the way. That was proving to be difficult, however, because ever since they had kissed, Anne could think of nothing but kissing her again. She wanted so badly to touch her skin and hold her close to her. She didn't know how or why, but Anne was certain that their union, if it would happen, would be a beautiful one. She had thought a lot about it, and she was sure they would be a perfect match. Something about Scully was just 'right'... something just 'fit' with her... Anne felt it every time they had been together, and it was like nothing she'd ever felt before. She hoped to God that Scully felt it too. Anne put her glass of wine on the table and stretched her arms and legs. "Ohh man... getting only 3 or 4 hours of sleep each night for a week is murder," She said, rubbing her neck and squeezing her eyes shut. "Mmm, I don't see how you do it," Scully said with admiration. "Oh, you get used to it... but my body doesn't appreciate it very much," Anne said with a wry grin as she rubbed her neck some more. Scully suddenly saw her opportunity, and in a split second, decided to act upon it. "Want me to massage your shoulders? ...I'm pretty good," Scully said, trying not to act too coy. Anne's eyes widened a little bit as a small look of surprise crossed her face. She looked back at Scully, quirking one corner of her mouth, "Uhm... okay," she said shyly as she sat forward on the sofa. Scully swallowed the lump that had arisen in her throat, then directed Anne to turn her back to her. Anne could feel the hair rising on the back of her neck as she turned around. she thought to herself, feeling a hot blush creep up her cheeks. Scully sat nearly an arm's length away as she reached out and let her fingers descend on Anne's shoulders. Anne fought back the shudder that ran through her body as her skin tingled with anticipation. At first, Scully only touched the top of Anne's shoulders - massaging them lightly. She knew she was doing a shitty job, but she couldn't bring herself to broaden her range just yet. Anne closed her eyes, trying to relax and just relish in the feel of Dana's caress. Her fingers were nimble and delicate, but they felt skittish. "Mmmm... that feels nice," Anne mumbled, wanting to put Scully at ease. Scully smiled, but instead felt the knots in her stomach and the tightness in her chest increase. "Is this okay, or can I do it a bit harder?" Scully asked timidly. "Mmm, oh yeah, do it harder!" Anne said jokingly, making Scully laugh a little. "Okayyy, you asked for it!" Scully teased as she gripped Anne's skin harder and pressed her thumbs into her shoulders. "OWWww!!" Anne groaned, making Scully stop abruptly. "Ooo, I'm sorry - too hard?" Scully apologized quickly and looked around at Anne with concern. "I'm just kidding, it's fine!" Anne teased, turning her head to look back at Scully with a grin on her face. "You shit!" Scully said with a smile as she gripped Anne's shoulders again and resumed. Anne smiled and let her head hang down as Scully squeezed her a bit harder. "You really have some knots up here," Scully said as she pushed her thumbs on the tightened muscles in-between Anne's shoulders. "Owww..." Anne said quietly. "Hurt?" Scully asked. "Yeah... but it feels good too," Anne said. "Oooo, masochistic?" Scully teased. "Absolutely," Anne quipped, making Scully laugh again. She decided that she was more comfortable now, so she scooted up closer to Anne, making her bent knee touch Anne's bottom. Anne's eyebrows raised a bit as she felt Scully come closer to her. she thought to herself. Scully could smell Anne's familiar fragrance as she ran her hands down her back, making small circular motions. Anne's frame was lean, and Scully could feel the hard bumps of her backbone beneath her fingers as they roamed. She worked her way back up to Anne's shoulders, then let her palms move out and down to grip her upper arms. She could feel that Anne was softly muscular - not hard and sculpted, but not thin and wiry either. She just felt soft ... feminine. Anne could feel her heart beginning to pound as Scully's fingers made their way along her shoulders to her neck. They gently massaged the back of Anne's neck, making her head drop down further as she closed her eyes. Scully pushed her fingers up Anne's neck, letting them invade the dangling mass of curls that laid against it. She slid her fingertips gently along Anne's scalp, marveling at the feel of her hair... it was thick and so very soft. She pulled her hands out slowly, observing how the curls tangled between her fingers, then she slid them back into it again. "If you play with my hair, I'll fall asleep," Anne mumbled as she lifted her head up and turned to look at Scully. Scully let out an embarrassed laugh, "I'm sorry... I couldn't resist..." Scully said with a grin. "You should - it's messy," Anne said. "No... it's pretty," Scully said softly, "...so soft and curly," Scully said as she let her fingers glide through the tresses again. Anne watched her as she did so, focusing on the look in her eyes. Anne thought Scully's eyes were the most beautiful blue-green she'd ever seen. They were intense and bright as she looked dreamily at Anne's hair, and Anne wished that she could kiss her at that very moment. Scully shifted her gaze to Anne's observing eyes as they pierced straight through her. She quirked a little shy smile at her, "What are you thinking?" Scully asked Anne quietly. "Nothing," Anne said, smiling gently at Scully. Scully gave a small, disappointed smile and withdrew her hands from Anne's locks. Anne smiled softly back at her and lifted her eyebrows, "My turn," Anne whispered as she turned to face Scully fully. Scully swallowed hard and quirked another nervous smile, then turned around obediently. Anne placed her hands on Scully's shoulders and began stroking her softly through her thin sweater. Butterflies danced in Scully's stomach as she felt Anne touch her. Scully thought to herself in a sudden panic. Anne was sitting so close that Scully could nearly feel the heat emanating from her body. Anne's massage was careful but deliberate. She let her palms glide all over Scully's shoulders and back, pushing here, brushing there. It felt more like an exploration than a massage, but Scully wasn't complaining. Anne's touch completely took control of her, and she felt herself melting helplessly. She felt fingers slide up her back, over her shoulders, and down her biceps as Anne seemingly caressed every square inch of her upper body. The probing was light and delicate, making chills flow up and down Scully's spine. She felt Anne glide her fingers up her neck and into her hair, gently pulling on it as she drew them back out. She repeated the motion again, and again, each time making Scully's head spin deliriously. Anne's fingers were magical, and Scully was becoming highly aroused by her subtle touching and exploring. After a few moments, Anne brushed Scully's hair aside for a moment and leaned down to place a soft kiss at the base of her neck. Scully's mouth opened and she sighed softly as she felt something hot spread from the pit of her stomach down to her groin. Anne let her lips linger for a moment while she closed her eyes and inhaled Scully's girlish scent. Her hair smelled like some kind of flowery herbal shampoo, and her skin felt impossibly soft and supple. Anne slowly let her lips graze lightly down Scully's neck until she reached the top of her sweater. She pressed her lips against Scully's skin again, sealing her erotic massage with a kiss. As Anne sat back and removed her hands, Scully turned around to face her. Her face was flushed and she had a dark look in her eye that nearly made Anne's heart stop. Scully's chest was rising and falling noticeably as she looked at Anne and fluttered her eyelids slightly, looking as though she wanted to say something, but couldn't. Anne quirked one corner of her mouth shyly as she looked back at Scully and tried to swallow the painful lump that constricted her throat. Scully licked her lips as she and Anne silently leaned toward each other, letting their lips touch carefully in a tender kiss. Scully didn't move and Anne broke the kiss, looking intently at her, unsure if Dana wanted this wonderful step forward to continue. Scully opened her eyes and swallowed nervously as she saw Anne's eyes riveted to hers, smoldering darkly and exposing a glimpse of the hidden passion behind them. They seemed to widen and swallow Scully whole, and she could feel herself drowning helplessly in them. Scully felt another gush of arousal dampening her panties as she reached up and quickly pulled Anne's face toward hers for another kiss. Their lips met more hotly this time, intensifying their desire. Scully felt like her mouth was on fire as Anne's tongue darted out and sought entrance ever so subtly. Scully's lips yielded under Anne's and she opened them further, surprising herself as she groaned quietly and deepened the kiss even more. Anne fought to control the little moan that danced in the back of her throat as she dragged her tongue along Scully's teeth and swirled it around her velvety tongue, dueling gently with her. Anne suddenly reached down and grabbed Scully's hips, making Scully gasp slightly as she pulled her in closer - so close that Scully had to slide her legs up over Anne's thighs so she could scoot fully into her lap. Anne slid her hands around to grasp Dana's bottom and her lower back, pushing her hips and body flush against Anne's and holding her tight as she quietly groaned an "mmmm" noise into Anne's mouth. They snaked their arms around each other, twining fingers into hair and latching onto each other's lips hungrily as their excitement escalated. Scully's stomach churned as she felt her groin begin to contract and throb impatiently within the zippered confines of her jeans... a few more grinding movements against Anne and she was going to completely lose it. Anne seemed to sense Scully's lust, and she leaned back against the couch a little, pulling Scully back with her and holding her firmly around the waist so that she could move herself against Anne's body more easily. Scully's conscious mind vaguely realized what was happening, but only a small part of her brain could rationally say "no, no - I can't do this"; the majority was too busy screaming for sexual release. Anne began to mercilessly devour Scully now, seemingly intent on driving her over the edge, and Scully was helpless to stop herself from falling. Anne grasped Scully's hips and tugged them gently, encouraging her to grind against her thigh as she moved it up to press against Scully's crotch. All the while, Anne kissed and suckled Dana's lower lip docilely, causing her breathing to become more labored as her climax neared. Scully finally broke when Anne dropped one hand down to press against Scully's zipper, letting her fingertips palpate her burning hot center through the crotch of her jeans. Anne thought her eyes would pop out of their sockets as she felt Scully's mouth open against her mouth and gasp for breath. Scully's eyes squeezed shut and she dug her nails into Anne's upper arms as she let out a barely audible 'oh god' groan, her face pressing against Anne's as her body pulsed with the waves of a totally unexpected orgasm. Anne nearly came just from the sound and feel of Scully's climax, and she held Dana's panting body close to her, wanting to feel every shock and ripple as it coursed through her. Scully's face came to rest in the crook of Anne's neck as she desperately tried to regain her senses. Anne brought her arms up and wrapped them securely around Scully, hugging her tightly as she felt the matching thumps of their racing heartbeats. Anne turned her face and pushed her nose in to find Dana's cheek so that she could press her lips against it, holding them there in a secure kiss. It felt wonderful to hold her small body like this, and Anne didn't want to let her go. Scully's mind screamed to her, incredulous of what just happened. All Scully could think to herself was . Had she really just gotten off while grinding like an animal atop Anne...??!! <...ohhhh my goddddd...> she groaned to herself. <...please, someone tell me that this is all just an embarrassing dream...> she prayed inwardly, but the feel of Anne's lips on her cheek confirmed her fears - it was all very real. Scully suddenly pushed herself up with her arms, sitting astride Anne and staring disbelievingly at her with a crimson face. Anne smiled coyly at her. Scully's mouth opened, but nothing came out. Anne's brows crinkled a little worriedly, wondering what she wanted to say. "I, I...," Scully stammered, open-mouthed and wide-eyed. Anne raised her brows, silently questioning. "I'm, I'm... sorry, I...," Scully tried to continue, blinking nervously. "...I, I didn't mean to... to...," Scully babbled again and motioned uselessly with her hand. Anne reached out to thread her fingers through Scully's, bringing the flailing limb back to her chest. "Didn't mean to what?" she asked with a soft half-smile, her eyes radiating coy warmth back at Scully. Scully's face immediately turned brighter red with embarrassment and she covered her face with her hand. "Oh my god... " she whispered, and she quickly jumped off Anne's lap. Anne sat up quickly, surprised at Scully's profound embarrassment and abrupt departure. "Dana... wait!" she said, calling after Scully as she walked out of the living room. Anne ran after her, cutting her off just as she was about to enter the bathroom. "Dana...?" Anne asked, bending down trying to look Scully in the eyes. Scully let out a small laugh and just shook her head, refusing to look at Anne. Anne gently reached out and tilted Scully's face up so that she had to look at her. Smiling affectionately but worriedly at her, Anne whispered, "What's wrong?" Scully closed her eyes, feeling a lump forming in her throat, "I'm so *embarrassed*... jesus...," she said, rolling her eyes skyward and shaking her head. Anne cocked her head, "Why? ...I'm not," she said simply. Scully looked back at her in amazement. "There's no one here but us," Anne said with a shrug. "Well I *know*, but I...," Scully started, motioning with her hand again, "...I... y'know, and you didn't... y'know... did you?" she asked with furrowed her brows, suddenly unsure whether Anne came or not. Anne grinned broadly at her, amazed at how totally unglued Scully had become. "No, I didn't, but that doesn't matter," Anne said casually. Scully frowned at her. "Yes, it does - it matters to me," she said seriously. Anne smiled reassuringly at her, "Well it's no big deal to me - honestly. I'm just happy to please you... *that* matters to me." Anne said as she reached up to touch Scully's cheek with her fingertips. Scully's eyes widened as she saw the look of total sincerity and affection on Anne's face and in her suddenly naked eyes. Her mouth opened, but no words would come out as tears began to sting her eyes. Anne looked at her with concern, "What?" she asked softly. Scully closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head. "Nothing... it's just that... no one has ever...," she started quietly, looking at Anne's chest blankly. "No one has ever... cared enough... about me... to put me first... to put my wants and needs first,... y'know?" she finished with a shy, sad smile, looking back up into Anne's eyes as the tears teetered dangerously on her lower lids. "Well... I care enough about you, Dana," Anne whispered as she gently traced Scully's lips with her fingertips. Scully blinked rapidly, trying to halt the tears, but they spilled over anyway as she lifted her head up to kiss Anne tenderly. Scully found herself wondering if this was all a dream as she relaxed into Anne's soothing kiss and warm embrace. How could someone she hardly knew be so loving and pull at her heart-strings so profoundly? How could she be so mesmerized and enamored of Anne? How could her attraction continue to deepen so much? And how could she be so turned-on?? She wasn't sure what frightened her more... the fact that she just had sex with a woman, or the fact that it happened so easily and seemed so natural. She had been certain that she would *never* feel this way about *anyone*... and yet, here she was - completely and utterly lost in the arms of a sensual, passionate person she's only known for about a month... here she was - falling for a woman... a woman who cared about her. ...Scully's head began to hurt from all the thoughts racing through it. Anne lightly trailed her hands up Scully's shoulders and neck as she flicked her tongue across Scully's upper lip. She slid her hands around the back of Scully's neck and began to kiss her again, tantalizing her by delicately brushing and probing the tip of her tongue all around Scully's lips. Scully began to slide her arms underneath Anne's and wrap her hands around her as she felt herself being helplessly pulled in again by Anne's seduction. She knew she couldn't take another orgasm like the last one though, so she broke the kiss slowly. They kept their faces close together as they peered into each other's eyes, trying to speak without words. Anne reached up with her hand and touched Scully's cheek reverently, slowly tracing her fingers across her jawbone and her chin, then bringing her index finger up to touch her lips. Scully tried in vain to keep her bottom lip from quivering... her body was still quaking with aftershocks and emotion. Anne watched Scully's eyes as they opened and closed, looking for answers to the dozens of questions that spun around inside her head. The sea-blue orbs were hazy and watery as they blinked lethargically, their delicate lashes fluttering lazily. Anne trailed her index finger down the bridge of Scully's aquiline nose, brushing over the tiny, faint freckles that dotted the surface of the skin there. Scully smiled softly and glanced up to look into Anne's eyes; their deep, liquid blue depths reflected serenity, affection, and something unrecognizable... Passion? Desire? Maybe... love? Scully closed her eyes and scolded herself for jumping ahead. Anne silently took Scully's hand and tugged it, leading them back to sit on the sofa again. Anne reclined back this time, gently pulling Scully down to lie beside her. Scully hesitated at first, thinking that it was a bad idea and that she'd get too turned-on again. Soon though, she forced herself to calm down, allowing her body to relax and take in Anne's tenderness and stability. They laid like that in silence for several moments, getting used to the intimate warmth, feel, and smell of each other. Anne gently caressed Scully's back and shoulders while Scully pressed her nose and lips into Anne's neck, smelling her fresh, clean scent and musky perfume. She felt comfortable...secure...safe...it just felt 'right'. Anne kept her face pressed into Scully's hair, telling herself over and over that this was real, that she was quite possibly holding the soul mate she thought she'd never find. She told herself not to be so foolishly hopeful, but something told her that this was not going to be just your ordinary run-of-the-mill love affair. After a few minutes, Scully spoke quietly, "Anne...?" she asked. "Hmm...?," Anne replied, her throat vibrating against Scully's lips. "What happened between you and the woman you said you had the intense relationship with?" Scully asked tentatively. Anne paused for a moment, wanting to be careful with her answer. "Wellll...," Anne started, thinking back quickly and drawing a deep breath, "I was still married to Bruce at the time," she said as she continued to caress Scully's shoulders. "She was... y'know, my 'first'... I had never been with a woman before, but... I dunno... I had always thought that I was attracted to her... somehow...," she said. "Where did you meet?" Scully interjected. "Oh, we worked at the hospital together - we met while we were residents," she explained. "...Mmmm...," Scully murmured. "Anyway... we got to be pretty good friends, but then... I dunno really... somewhere, somehow, things took a turn... she was dropping me off at home one evening, and... she kissed me... in her car," Anne said with a little laugh. Scully smiled against her neck. "And then, after that, we just... I dunno... became 'lovers' I guess," Anne said with a shrug. "What about Bruce?" Scully asked. Anne sighed, "Well... things were pretty rocky between us, at that point. We were both unhappy, and things just weren't working between us, but... I dunno... I didn't want to give up, y'know? It sounds stupid, but... I still cared about him... and I really wanted to be *normal*, y'know?" she said with a little laugh. She drew little circles at the back of Scully's neck, sending chills up her spine. "I didn't *want* to be gay, but... I couldn't deny that I felt something for Martha. She was... uhm," Anne hesitated for a moment, "Well... I think I was *infatuated* with her... she was... *different*... interesting... intelligent," she said as she reminisced, "I think she really cared for me, but... I just wasn't *sure* about it... any of it," she said, feeling herself tense-up at the painful recollections, "She was a lot of fun though... she made me see just how much I was missing," Anne said with a small smile, trying to laugh a little. Anne couldn't see, but Scully's eyes were wide, and her brows arched upward. "Were you in love with her?" Scully asked quietly. Anne drew a deep breath. "Mmm... I don't know," she said, trying to sound detached. "Maybe I was... I'm not sure. There were times that I was certain I loved her... but then there were times when I told myself that it was just infatuation, and nothing more. You see...," she hesitated, shifting her body a little bit, making Scully sense that she was perhaps prying too much. "The problem was that I didn't want to let go of Bruce - It didn't matter that there was no romance - I was *comfortable* with him... my life with him was 'normal', and everything was *familiar*... and she wasn't." Anne said, pausing for a moment. Scully said nothing, but waited. "Quite honestly, I was just too scared to give that up... I was a coward," she said quietly, shaking her head a little. Scully waited a moment, then spoke. "So what happened between the two of you?" she asked. "Well... she wanted a commitment... she wanted 'exclusive rights'. She didn't want to sit on the sidelines, waiting for me to get UNcomfortable and make up my mind. I couldn't blame her for that... so... we had to say goodbye. She left town not long after." Anne said sadly. Scully propped herself up and looked at Anne, seeing the wistful look on her face. "And then you ended up leaving Bruce anyway," Scully said, thinking out loud. "Yeah, well... we sort-of left each other, really... it was pretty mutual. And, even though I knew it was for the best... it still terrified me." Anne admitted. "Why?" Scully asked. "I didn't want to be alone. I mean, I don't *mind* being alone... but... not permanently. ...Does that make any sense?" she asked, looking at Scully with a slight smile. "Oh yes...," Scully said, nodding her head. Anne laughed gently, "Yes, I guess you do know about that," she said as she pulled Scully back to her and pressed her lips against her head, hugging her. "So...," Scully started, propping up again, "Martha was your only one? Lover, I mean...?" she asked sheepishly. Anne smiled, "Yes, she was the only one... there's been no one since," she said, looking at Scully with a grin. Scully tried to act nonchalant, but Anne saw straight through her, "I'm not some lesbian vamp or a big dyke slut with ten other women on the side, don't worry," Anne said with a laugh. Scully erupted in an embarrassed laugh as well, hanging her head and squeezing her eyes shut, "I'm sorry! I just wanted to know...," Scully said, trying to be sincere through her grin. Anne laughed at her more and pulled her down to kiss her smiling face. The kiss lingered for a bit, until Anne pulled Scully against her chest, sighing and hugging her tightly as she inhaled the flowery smell of her hair while she pressed her face into it. Scully smiled against Anne's chest and wrapped her arms around her warmth, wanting never to let go of the blissful feeling. *********************** end part 5 Barren Souls Part 6 of 7 Scully awakened with a jerk, uncertain of where she was for a moment. She sat up quickly, looking at the person lying on her sofa who was now stirring. ...Anne... her foggy mind quickly put everything back into place as Anne sat up, rubbing her eyes. "What? What is it?" she asked groggily. "Nothing... I guess we fell asleep," Scully mumbled as she looked around the room and tried to get her bearings. "What time is it?" Anne queried. Scully strained to find the wall clock and read it, "Uhm, looks like 4:30 or so," she said. "Uhhh shiiiittt... I gotta go to work soonnnn," Anne grumbled, rubbing her hands over her face. "Ohh, I didn't know you had to *work* today!" Scully said worriedly as she looked at Anne's sleepy face and rumpled clothes. "I have to work *every* day," Anne said somewhat disgustedly as she stood up shakily. Scully felt distressed at the thought of Anne leaving. She had wanted her to stay, and she had hoped that they would spend the next day together. Scully stood up as well, looking sorrowfully at Anne. "I feel badly... you should have gotten some sleep... I'm sorry," Scully said apologetically. Anne smiled slightly. "No, don't be, I didn't want to sleep - I wanted to be here with you." Anne said with a sleepy smile. Scully smiled, but she still felt bad. Anne looked softly at Scully and reached up to brush a stray lock of bronze hair away from her eye. The gesture gave Scully goosebumps as the recollection of what had transpired a few hours ago flashed through her mind. She closed her eyes as Anne stroked her cheek softly and stepped toward her so that their bodies were only inches apart. Scully opened her eyes and looked up at Anne's soulful blue depths. Her face was calm and serene, but Scully sensed something lurking behind those eyes. Anne peered into Scully's oceanic pools, wishing that she could let herself dive into them and swim away from reality for a little while. "What is it?" Scully asked Anne quietly. "Nothing," Anne said with a head-shake and a slight smile. Scully pursed her lips slightly... again the avoidance... Scully suddenly closed the gap between them, bringing her arms around Anne's waist and hugging her tightly as she pressed her face into Anne's chest. Anne was a little surprised by the gesture, but she returned the hug warmly, holding Scully's small body tight against her. She suddenly remembered how good it felt to hold her close, and she considered begging-off work for a split second. She knew she couldn't do that though - instead, she vowed to find some way to get some time off so that she could spend it with Dana. Just the two of them... together... for a long period of time... she thought to herself. Scully released her grip and stepped back, looking woefully at Anne one last time before she turned and went to fetch Anne's jacket. Anne made her way toward the door slowly, reluctant to leave Dana and her warm embraces. Scully appeared with Anne's jacket and helped her put it on, both women remaining silent. Anne walked the rest of the distance to the door and turned to look at Scully again. "I'll call you... okay?" she asked. Scully nodded and forced a little smile. She had hoped for more of a 'date' than just a telephone call. Anne hesitated for a moment, then figured it best if she just left instead of dragging out the agony. She turned and reached for the doorknob, but Scully interrupted. "Uhm, wait...," she said anxiously, "When can we, uhm... get together... again...?" Scully asked with a shrug, trying to appear casual but failing miserably. Anne pursed her lips and drew a deep breath. She had been dreading this question from Scully, because she knew that she didn't have a good answer. "I'm not sure," she said quietly, looking down at the floor for a moment. "I work pretty long shifts during the week, and..." she tried to explain delicately. Scully nodded her head and looked down, understanding what Anne was saying but not liking it one bit. She knew what it was like to work long hours at a hospital, and she knew better than to get her hopes up. Still... she felt like Anne was being non-committal, and that hurt. "Listen," Anne began, placing her index finger under Scully's chin and lifting her head up to look at her, "I'll see if maybe I can change my schedule for the weekend, so we can spend some *real* time together... okay?" she offered gently. Scully smiled at her, grateful for the rejuvenation of her hope. "I'd like that." Scully said. Anne grinned wide at her and leaned down, kissing her fully on the lips. Scully reached up and wove her hands into Anne's hair one last time, returning the kiss passionately. They hugged each other tightly again until Anne whispered, "I have to go." Scully stepped back, nodding her head and opening the door for her. "...Bye..." Anne whispered as she clasped Scully's hand and squeezed it, then stepped out the door, closing it behind her. ****************** Scully pressed her face against the door and closed her eyes, begging her tears to give her a break for a change. She felt very strange... happy and good on the surface, but unsettled and somewhat confused on the inside. The confusion was a no-brainer - she'd just had sex with a woman for the first time - but the unsettled part disturbed her slightly. She didn't want Anne to leave, even though she knew she had to, so she felt unhappy about that; but there was something more... something that gave her ever-present knots of anxiety in her stomach. She found herself wondering, once again, how Anne felt. It occurred to her that Anne never really displayed nor talked about her emotions very much... she always seemed to have a tranquil face and a dark curtain pulled over her eyes, blocking-off any chance of seeing into her soul. Why was she always so cautious? Scully wondered about so many things. Anne's personality was perplexing... sometimes she was jovial and animated... sometimes she was aloof and standoffish... it confused the hell out of Scully. She left quite simply, without much drama... and she didn't make any definite promises about seeing Scully again. Scully wrinkled her brows as she thought about that for a moment. It wasn't that she *wanted* Anne to be dramatic, but she almost seemed to be indifferent to the whole thing. And, she didn't get off with Scully either - again, not that she *had* to, but it would have been nice. She was just so... *controlled* about everything. Something about that bothered Scully a little, which, she deduced, was why she felt anxious. Scully thought, <...always in control. Or, maybe she was just tired...?,> Scully wondered. Hell, maybe she didn't want attachment or commitment of any kind - she'd done that already, afterall. Scully raked her fingers through her hair and sighed, telling herself that she was overreacting. It was out-of-character for *her* to be thinking 'attachment' and acting like the clingy girlfriend. Usually she was the one who kept her distance and played it ultra-cool. What was coming over her anyway? She headed back to bed, telling herself not to analyze the whole situation so much and stop being a spazz. She would just have to be patient and let Anne call her. As Scully got undressed, she watched herself in the mirror, looking at all the places Anne had touched her body earlier. She could still feel Anne's subtle fingers tracing lightly over her skin... her soft lips on her neck and face... her warm breath as it puffed into her hair... Scully realized she was giving herself goosebumps thinking such things, so she quickly got dressed and climbed into bed, scolding herself not to go any further with those thoughts. She began to drift off quickly while memories of Anne's caresses lingered in the back of her mind. Her final thoughts were of Anne's penetrating cerulean eyes and her passionate kisses... she could feel Anne's lips on hers as they lulled her into a quiet, peaceful slumber. ******************* Anne could think of nothing else on the drive home but the smell and feel of Dana's body writhing against hers... she thought she would explode from withholding her arousal. It had been a long time since she found herself so taken with someone, and the realization that she was falling for Scully made her very nervous. She thought she could avoid it... she thought she could stave-off her own intense feelings for a little while longer by shutting-off her emotions... but she was failing to do that. She already thought about Dana Scully all the time; tonight's episode would only make that worse. She reached her apartment and went in, tossing her coat aside and looking around her empty house. she sadly thought to herself. She missed being close with someone, both emotionally and physically. Granted, she made it very hard for people to *get* close to her, but still... if she were really honest with herself, she truly missed it. She had been alone for a long time now, and she thought she was getting pretty used to it. She figured she would never find anyone, so she had resigned herself to being alone... but now that was changing... she was beginning to have hopeful thoughts about Dana, and that terrified her. She had gotten good at not being hopeful and downplaying things. It was easier that way, she reasoned to herself... if you didn't build up your hopes, then you wouldn't be too let-down when they didn't come true. This had become her philosophy about life... 'don't expect so much, and you won't be as disappointed.' She shook her head at herself, ashamed at what she had let herself become. She had a failed marriage and a failed relationship, and now she didn't dare to hope about anything anymore...? Is this how she wanted to live her life? she asked herself as she began to get ready for work. She got her things together, grabbed something to eat, and headed out the door, all the while thinking that she needed a new outlook on life... and that Dana Scully might just be the person to give her one. ***************************** The rest of the weekend passed quickly for Scully, and she was grateful. All she could think about was Anne and the evening they spent together. She was actually glad for Monday so that she could get her mind off of it for awhile. She was not, however, prepared for Mulder to embarrass her. She had come into the office and they exchanged their "good mornings" as usual... then Mulder tripped her up, "What did you do this weekend?" he asked curiously. Scully's face immediately went red, making Mulder frown and then raise his brows at her. "Oh... nothing special," she managed to say as she lowered her head, cursing herself and trying to hide her suddenly crimson cheeks from him. "Really?" he persisted, "That face doesn't look like 'nothing special' to me," he teased. Scully looked up at him sternly, flashing him her trademark warning look. He continued to grin, "C'mon Scully - did you have a hot date, or what?" he queried. She rolled her eyes at him disgustedly, "Mulder," she said as she stood up, "...you really need to get a life," she finished as she tossed a crumpled piece of paper at him, hitting him squarely in the face. He laughed as he watched her walk indignantly out the door. Yessir... his outwardly stern and aloof partner was definitely spanking somebody's monkey... he'd bet money on it. he thought to himself with another chuckle. Later in the morning, as Scully was sitting pouring over case files, the phone rang. Mulder wasn't there, so she picked it up. "Scully," she said in her clipped, professional demeanor. "Hey Dana... it's Anne," said a friendly voice. Scully immediately broke into a smile. "Hi," she said happily, "How are you?" "Good... I'm good...," Anne paused, "I've been thinking about you, so I thought I'd call," Anne said softly. Scully smiled more. "I've been thinking about you too," she said, her voice lowering unconsciously. Anne squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, Scully's seductive voice purring to her on the phone was making her stomach twist into knots. They chatted idly for a few moments until Mulder opened the door and re-entered the office. Scully's eyes widened like a deer caught in the headlights, and she stammered to Anne, "Uhm, okay, well... I have to go..." she tried to say quietly. "Oh... okay," Anne said, confused for a moment. "Uhm... I'll call you later, ok?" Scully asked. "Yeah, sure - did you just get caught?" Anne asked with a small laugh. "Mmm... yes, that's right," Scully said, trying to cover her smile with her hand. Anne laughed in the other end of the phone. "Okay, I'll let you go... bye, Dana," Anne said. "...Bye..." Scully said. She hung up and returned to her files, not looking at Mulder, whom she knew was watching her. "Who was *thaaat*?" he asked her curiously, lilting his voice intentionally. "My mother," Scully lied coolly, still refusing to look at him. Mulder just smiled at her, amazed at her ability to cover-up and act non-committal. Scully felt her cheeks redden slightly, and she suddenly wished that Mulder would go on vacation for about 6 months. Later in the week, Scully phoned and left a message on Anne's machine. She didn't ask about the weekend, but she hoped that Anne would call her back. Sure enough, Anne called. They decided to do dinner and a movie, and Scully insisted on cooking for Anne at her place. Anne agreed somewhat reluctantly, and they set a date: Friday night. ********************* It seemed to take forever for Friday evening to arrive, and Scully was anxious about being with Anne again. She was excited but also highly nervous. The prospect of spending another romantic evening with the person who made her heart flutter was arousing Scully beyond belief, and she kept telling herself not to expect too much as she fussed about, making dinner and arranging the table just so. She nearly jumped out of her skin when the tapping sounded on the door. She scurried over quickly, opening the door to see Anne standing there with a silly smile on her face, a bottle of wine under her arm and a bunch of flowers in one hand. "Hi," Anne said, grinning broadly. "Hi yourself," Scully said, grinning back at her. Anne stepped inside, pushing the beautiful bouquet toward Scully. "I brought these... they reminded me of you," she said shyly. Scully took them, giving Anne a broad, toothy smile. "And I thought I should re-stock your wine supply too," Anne said, offering the wine to Scully. "Thanks," Scully laughed as she sat the things down and took Anne's coat. She deposited the coat and turned back to Anne. She was wearing faded jeans and a black v-neck sweater that accentuated her slender neck. It made her look sexy and seductive, and Scully had to fight hard to suppress the excited smile that threatened to take over her entire face. She let a small smirk leak out as Anne smiled bashfully at her, seemingly reading her thoughts. They both hesitated awkwardly for a moment, then Anne walked toward Scully slowly, reaching out with her arms to snake them around Scully's shoulders and pull her into a tender embrace. Scully pressed her face into Anne's neck, taking a deep breath and inhaling the mixture of skin and perfume while she returned the embrace warmly. "I missed you," Anne whispered softly. Scully smiled into Anne's neck and pulled back to look at her, "I missed you too," she said. Anne smiled gently at her and leaned down, kissing her fully on her smiling lips. "Something smells wonderful," Anne remarked, looking off into the kitchen. "Ahh yes, I've been slaving over a hot stove alllll day, just for you," Scully said jokingly. Anne laughed, "Mmmmm, you shouldn't have!" Anne joked back as Scully walked over to check the oven. "Y'know, I don't think I've had a real home-cooked meal since Christmas," Anne said. "Well then, come, sit down and let me indulge you," Scully said, smiling mischievously. The two women talked and laughed over a splendid dinner. Scully had done her best to impress Anne, and Anne definitely noticed. They cleaned up afterwards and headed out to the living room to relax. Scully channel-surfed until she found a classic bad B-movie, and Anne got comfortable on the plush sofa. They sat side-by-side but didn't snuggle up to each other right away. Anne sensed that Scully seemed reluctant to get too close, and thought that perhaps she didn't want to get 'hot-and-heavy' tonight. She didn't mind really; she would do whatever Dana wanted. Scully sensed that Anne was being overly cautious, and she couldn't shake the feeling that she was still holding back. She had tried to touch on some topics about feelings and emotions during dinner, but Anne didn't take the bait. She remained hidden behind her walls of steel, as usual. Scully didn't want it to bother her, but she couldn't help it. She really needed to know how Anne felt before things went any further, but she also didn't want to scare her off or make her angry by pushing the issue prematurely. <...what to do... what to do...> she thought to herself. Anne could see that Scully was thinking about something... she could almost hear the wheels turning in her head. She scooted back into the corner of the couch and reached for Scully's hand, tugging on it gently. "Hey... c'mere," she beckoned to Scully. Scully looked at her, hesitating for a moment. Anne frowned a little, "What's the matter?" she asked quietly with a frown as Scully looked away for a moment and then looked back. Anne stared at her expectantly with raised brows, silently demanding an explanation. Scully cocked her head a little, thinking for a moment before she asked, "Why don't you ever reveal how you feel?" Scully asked as she turned to fully face Anne. Anne's eyebrows arched high and she blinked quickly, surprised by Scully's question. Scully smiled a little bit at her reaction, "I mean... you always seem to be so... controlled, with your emotions... do you ever let loose?" Anne now frowned at Scully, a little taken-back and insulted by her questions. "I don't understand... what do you mean?" Anne said, genuinely confused. Scully looked skyward for a moment, "Well... you've never really said much about how you feel... y'know...," Scully tried to explain. "Well, neither have you," Anne replied a little indignantly. Scully smiled, "Yes, but I think I've been pretty *obvious* about how I feel... don't you? I mean, having a huge orgasm while sitting on your lap should give you a pretty *good* idea about how *I* feel... don't you think?" she asked, her voice raising slightly as she looked directly at Anne. "I've asked you what you're thinking about several times, and you always reply the same thing... 'nothing'...," Scully said, making a small face. "I know you must be thinking *something*... what are you hiding?" Scully asked, looking Anne straight in the eye as she tried to convey her frustration. Anne frowned and her eyes glared, flashing angry blue lightning for a moment, but then the sea of tranquility washed over them quickly, concealing her feelings yet again. Scully pointed to them, "See... right there... you just hid yourself again...," she said, "What are you holding back? And *why*??" Scully asked insistently. Anne glared again at Scully for a split second, her eyes deepening darkly and threatening to erupt. The hair on the back of Scully's neck stood up for a second as she suddenly regretted starting the whole conversation. "I'm not 'holding back' anything! And I don't *always* have to be thinking *something* - do I?!" Anne snapped impatiently. <...shit...> Scully thought inwardly as she gritted her teeth and replied, "No! No... please, don't get angry... I just want to know what you're thinking and how you *feel*... that's all...," Scully tried to explain gently. "You want to know how I 'feel' about *what*? Nuclear war??! What?!!" Anne spat out angrily as she quickly bolted up off the couch and walked out to the kitchen briskly. Scully could hear her slam her fists or slam something against the kitchen counter or the cupboards, and she closed her eyes, trying to summon the nerve to go after her. She didn't understand why Anne was suddenly so upset, and her sudden temper was a little unexpected. Now she wished that she hadn't said anything... she should have let well enough alone. She headed out to the kitchen anyway, approaching Anne cautiously, "Anne... I'm sorry... please don't be angry," Scully apologized. Anne turned around to face her, eyes still blazing. "What do you want from me?" she hissed at Scully, her flaming eyes buried beneath deeply furrowed brows, "Why do you need to crawl inside my head?" she asked suspiciously. Now it was Scully's turn to get angry. She glared back at Anne a little, "I'm not asking to get inside your head and pick your brain, I just -- ," "You just what? You just want to invade my private thoughts? So soon??!" Anne snapped, interrupting Scully. Scully was shocked by Anne's biting remarks, and she felt her anger kick in and begin to flare. But she stopped herself abruptly, not wanting to get into a huge argument, and she held up her hands in a sign of truce. "Look... ...I care about you, alright? I'm not afraid to say that. And I want to know what you feel... what you think... what goes on inside of you, because I *care* about you... that's all," Scully said gently as she tried to relax her expression, looking hopefully at Anne, "I just want to get to *know* you better... I want to be *closer* to you." Scully said quietly. The angry scowl in Anne's eyes started to dissipate as she looked back at Scully, feeling sorrowful that things took a wrong turn. She didn't want to be angry, but she didn't want to get into this discussion either. Still, she felt she owed it to Scully to try to explain... she didn't want to upset her by being evasive and touchy. "Listen...," Anne began with a sigh, looking skyward for a moment. "I'm not very good at being... 'close' to people, Dana," Anne said, looking down at the floor. Scully looked at her and said nothing, wanting to give her plenty of time. "I don't *like* to talk about feelings, and I'm not good at expressing feelings... it's just the way I am, I'm afraid," Anne said apologetically, shrugging slightly. "I'm a Cancerian, y'know? - we're moody and we hide within our shells," she said with a slight smile, "I'm sometimes aware that I do it, but... I really don't know *why* I do it, and I don't know how to *not* do it," she said, looking confused. "But why do you hide?" Scully asked gently, "What are you hiding from?" she said, stepping a little closer to Anne. Anne drew a deep breath and shook her head a little, "I don't know...," she said, shaking her head and pausing, "... feelings, I guess... I guess I don't want them to get crushed," Anne said, her voice tinged with slight embarrassment. "You think *I'm* going to 'crush' them?" Scully asked, a little surprised. Anne paused again, then leaned back against the counter, her eyes looking down, "Dana...," Anne said tentatively, "I knew I was attracted to you a long time ago... right after we first met... but I denied it, as usual. "Each time I saw you, I felt the draw... but, you seemed reluctant... so I figured I should just forget about it, and about you...," she continued hesitantly, "I told myself to forget about you *every* day... and that was hard...," she said, looking at Scully and nodding slightly, "But, we kept running into each other, at the hospital, at the restaurant... it almost seemed like fate," she said with a little grin, "Then... that night... I clumsily blurted out that I was attracted to you," Anne said, smiling a little at the recollection, "I thought I blew it for sure after that... I thought I had scared you off for certain," she said with a grin, making Scully grin too. "I wanted to call you *so* badly... but I was afraid... I didn't want to push it...y'know? I was afraid to get my hopes up... I didn't know what to do," Anne explained, looking at Scully, who was watching her expression carefully. "This whole time, I have been holding back... that is true," she admitted. "But why?" Scully finally asked. "Because... I'm still afraid... afraid that this is just going to be too much for you... afraid that you'll change your mind and take off," she said with a frown. "... and that... *that* would crush my feelings." Anne finished. Scully pursed her lips and stepped closer to Anne, taking her hands in hers. "Anne... I'm not going to hurt you," she said quietly, staring Anne straight in the eye. "This isn't just a game, or some casual little 'fling' or 'experiment' for me," she continued, piercing Anne with her bright, intense stare. "But you don't know that for sure," Anne interrupted, shaking her head uneasily. Scully interrupted back, "Yes I do... I *do* know," Scully said, nodding assuredly. Anne stared at her hard and spoke softly, "But you're *straight*, Dana... I mean, what happens when you wake up one morning and suddenly realize that we are two *women*," Anne said emphatically. Scully shook her head, frowning at her in confusion. "I'm afraid that one day you'll change your mind about all of this... when what you're doing *really* sinks in, I fear that you'll run off, screaming in horror," Anne said, looking mournfully into Scully's eyes. Scully sighed deeply, trying not to cry, "I understand your... *doubt* - believe me - I'm usually very distrustful and doubtful...," Scully said, looking down and shaking her head a bit, "I was very uncertain at first - that's true... I was scared and confused about it. But... I've done *so* much thinking, and I've looked deep within myself and asked myself *so* many questions...," Scully said, pausing for a moment, "I can't make you any promises about the future, Anne... and I won't pretend that I know what roads lie ahead of us," Scully continued, looking back at Anne, "All I can tell you is that... based on how I feel right now, and how much *thinking* I have done about all this... I *know* that I have no intention of changing my mind," she said confidently, peering hard into Anne's uncertain eyes. "I want you to trust me, Anne... I want us to trust each other," she said. As she spoke, she watched the dark cloudy veil begin to lift from Anne's eyes, and she caught a glimpse of the true deep blue intensity of the orbs, full of affection and warmth. "I know... I want that too... I just...," Anne stopped for a moment, looking back at Scully. "It's just very... *very* hard for me... okay?" Anne said, her voice sounding shaky. "Okay," Scully said as she lifted one corner of her mouth in a half-smile. Anne smiled softly back at her. "I'll do my best to work on it... but you'll have to be patient and understanding with me... alright?" Anne said with a small grin. Scully nodded her head, "I will... I can promise you that," she said, squeezing Anne's hands and stepping forward to reach her arms around Anne's waist and hug her tight ly. Anne closed her eyes and hugged her back, kissing the side of her head as the smell of her flowery shampoo filled her senses. Scully released her grip and turned, pulling on Anne's hand as she lead them back to the living room sofa. They sat down together and reclined back on the big sofa, huddling close together as Scully laid her head on Anne's shoulder and wrapped her arms around her. Anne rested her arm around Scully's back and leaned her face against Scully's forehead, kissing it softly. Scully soon scooted over Anne's leg and into her lap completely, resting her hip in the crotch of Anne's jeans and tangling their legs together. It was a blissful position and they stayed coupled like that for awhile, not saying anything... just relishing the closeness and the comfort. Scully loved feeling the gentle thump-thumping of Anne's heartbeat and the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed slowly and evenly. Her warm, calm body exuded comfort and protection, and Scully drank it right up. Anne kept her lips pressed against Dana's head, inhaling her clean smell and feeling the silky sheen of her hair against her face. She moved her hand against Scully's side, lightly grazing her fingers up and down and letting them slide up to her arm, giving Scully goosebumps. This cuddling position was exquisite, but Scully's occasional movements were putting dangerous pressure on Anne's already-aroused groin. If Scully didn't stop squirming, Anne was sure she'd explode. Anne idly wondered if perhaps the positioning and the squirming was intentional. She became quite certain of this after she felt Scully's lips on her neck, placing tiny wet kisses that sent electrical shocks through Anne's system, making her heart beat faster and her breathing accelerate. Scully could sense Anne's stirring, which turned her on severely. She sat up to face Anne, straddling her hips. Anne grinned mischievously at her, "If you're trying to turn me on... you're doing a pretty good job," she said lowly. Scully grinned back at her, "Glad to hear it," she purred as she leaned down, letting her lips descend slowly onto Anne's. Anne's eyes fluttered shut as she returned the kiss deeply, wanting to taste and absorb every last ounce of Scully. Something ignited within Scully's chest as she felt Anne take control and pull her in, and a warm familiar gush spread from the pit of her stomach down to the crotch of her panties. Anne let her hands glide up Scully's back and over her shoulders, allowing her fingers to smoothly slide up the back of her neck to invade her hair. Scully placed her hands on Anne's shoulders and gripped them tightly. She had trouble focusing on what she was doing because Anne was distracting her with her wandering hands. Anne soon let her hands fall down to the bottom of Scully's sweater, where she timidly snuck her fingers inside, letting them slide up Scully's bare skin oh-so-delicately. Scully breathed heavily into Anne's mouth as she felt Anne gently push her palms up her bare back, then drag them back down her sides. She began to squirm atop Anne, making Anne lift her hips slightly against Scully's bottom. Anne let her fingers wander underneath Scully's arms, brushing them gently over Scully's silk-clad breasts. She fingered the lacy undergarment delicately, then swept down to graze over Scully's naked stomach and waist. Scully gasped softly when Anne brushed over her breasts, feeling her nipples harden immediately. Scully pushed herself back for a moment, sitting up to look intently into Anne's eyes. They were set deeply underneath her brows, and they blazed brightly in a royal blue hue, glowing with burning intensity and passion. Anne looked at Scully's flushed face... her hair hung over one eye, but she could see the electric blue cutting through the red curtain, seething with desire and eroticism. Scully slowly removed her hands from Anne's shoulders and reached down, grasping the bottom of her sweater. She pulled the garment up over her head and tossed it aside, revealing her creamy ivory torso to Anne's widened eyes. She replaced her hands on Anne's shoulders and leaned down very slowly, giving Anne's parted lips a soft kiss, topped-off with a gentle lick. Anne thought her head would explode... Scully was totally and utterly seducing her, making her precious control slowly slip away from her. She fought to maintain her cool as she let her hands investigate Scully's newly-naked body. She caressed her all over... her back... her shoulders... her sides... arms... collar bones... stomach... she traced all around her bra, driving Scully absolutely crazy. Anne pushed Scully back for a moment and sat up, leaning her head forward to touch her lips against Scully's collarbone. Scully sighed quietly at the feel of Anne's soft, warm lips against her sensitized skin. Hot liquid passion rushed through her veins, and she clutched Anne's shoulders while she delicately placed feathery kisses all over her flesh. Anne worked her way over to Scully's neck, pushing her lips into the hollow at the base of her throat. She kissed down her chest, grazing her lips lightly across her sweet, supple skin to the valley between her breasts. The feel of Anne's warm breath on her was driving Scully mad, and chills raced up and down her body, making her nipples impossibly hard... she actually thought she might pass out. She brought her hands up to Anne's head, raking her fingers through her hair and pulling her face against her chest. Anne brought her face up to Scully's and kissed her hard, darting her tongue in and out of her mouth. Scully gasped lightly as she felt Anne's hands underneath her, sliding across her bottom and letting her fingers dance across the crotch of her jeans. Anne suddenly removed her hands and placed them on Scully's shoulders, "Turn around," she commanded in a low whisper. Scully looked at her with wide eyes, obeying silently and wondering what she was going to do. Anne guided and positioned Scully so that she was sitting in-between her legs, leaning back against her chest and shoulder. She gently brushed the hair away from Scully's neck and placed delicate kisses there while she let her hands carefully roam over Scully's shoulders, arms, upper chest, and breasts. Scully moved her bottom mildly against Anne's crotch, unable to sit still while Anne turned the tables and seduced her. Anne pushed her hands down to Scully's stomach, touching her lightly and dragging her fingers back and forth across its silky smooth surface, making Scully breathe harder and tilt her head back. Then Anne snuck her fingers down to the button of Scully's jeans, deftly opening it and sliding the zipper down. She gently pushed one hand down, sliding across the satiny surface of Scully's panties, making Scully moan softly as waves of arousal jolted her like lightning. Anne pushed her fingers further down over Dana's soft mound, letting her long middle finger slide along the fleshy valley that hid beneath the now-saturated panties. As she did this, Anne brought her other hand up and slid it up Scully's throat, grasping her gently underneath her jaw, but not applying any pressure. Scully's eyes widened as she felt a mixture of panic and arousal. Anne was stimulating her into a gushing frenzy, but she had her hand wrapped around her throat... Scully's delirious mind didn't know what to make of it. She had lost control of the situation completely.. .. all she could manage to do was lift her hips upward, pressing her swollen clit against Anne's hand. Anne held Dana's head still with the gentle choke-hold while she pelted her jaw and face with kisses. Meanwhile, she slipped her hand underneath Scully's dainty panties, snaking her long fingers through the softy kinky hair of Scully's mound, and letting them slide slowly down into the hot, wet crevice of Scully's cunt. Scully let out a groan and jerked her hips up against Anne's hand, her mind reeling with more panic and arousal. Anne breathed heavily against Scully as she felt the throbbing of her own groin while Scully gently pumped against her. She continued to slide her fingers in and out of Scully's slick, slippery valley, letting them delve down deeply so that they plunged into her tight opening, then sliding them back out and up over her engorged clit. Anne could feel the pounding of Scully's pulse underneath her other hand as her hips jerked harder against the onslaught. Scully's hands sought out Anne's, and she clutched them hard as her back arched and she opened her mouth, gasping desperately as her body exploded with the force of an immense orgasm. Anne could feel Scully's body go limp on top of her as the convulsions subsided. She withdrew her hand from Scully's pants and released the hold on her neck, gathering Scully in her arms and holding her close. She buried her nose in Scully's sweat-dampened hair, waiting patiently for her to come back down to earth and regain control of herself. About 5 minutes passed before Scully could speak again, "... jesus... christ...," she managed to whisper breathlessly, her eyes remaining closed. Anne chuckled softly, "is that 'jesus christ' *good*, or 'jesus christ' *bad*? she teased, "jesus christ *good*," Scully whispered with a smile. Anne snickered quietly again, kissing Scully's temple and hugging her tightly. Scully hadn't exactly planned for Anne to get her off again... in fact, she had hoped it would be the other way around. But here she was, sated and panting in Anne's arms again while Anne sat fully clothed and perfectly calm. Scully exasperatedly asked her fogged mind. If it had been anyone else, Scully would feel totally embarrassed and ashamed... if it had been a guy, she would have felt like his little sex toy... but she didn't feel that way now. Somehow, she knew that Anne did this *for* her, because she wanted to. She was, apparently, very selfless when it came to sex, and Scully found that very difficult to comprehend. Scully felt Anne moving her arms again as she gave another squeeze and placed another kiss on Dana's head. She couldn't believe how incredibly turned-on she was by Anne, and she marveled, again, how she had never experienced feelings like this with anyone - ever. One look at Anne and she melted... one touch of her hand, and she was on fire... was this love? lust? infatuation? or just pent-up sexual frustration?? Scully didn't know what to think... her mind began to torture her again with confusing thoughts. She was most definitely attracted to Anne, and she definitely cared very much about her... but... did she love her? Is this what 'love' was? The word began to swirl around inside her head... love, love, love, love... she told herself. she scolded inwardly. Scully thought disgustedly to herself. She closed her eyes and forced herself to stop thinking and just focus on the here-and-now. She concentrated on the gentle pounding of Anne's heart and the expansion of her chest as she breathed slowly and steadily. She was so calm... so comforting... so tranquil... Scully wanted to lie in her protective arms forever. But... she also wanted to give something back to her... she wanted to return the favor and feel the things that Anne felt. A slight panic crept up her spine as she briefly considered *how* she was going to do that. She didn't want to embarrass herself with her obvious inexperience by fumbling about nervously, yet she was eager and hungry to touch Anne as she had touched her. She would just have to do whatever came naturally to her, she decided... somehow she didn't think Anne would mind. Anne sat with her lips resting on Scully's silky hair, its familiar herbal- flowery scent wafting up into her nostrils. She marveled how Dana's small, warm body fit perfectly into her lap, as she looked down over them. Scully's bottom rested between Anne's hips, and her zipper was still undone, providing Anne with a glimpse of her disheveled satin panties. Anne smiled to herself, recalling how eagerly Dana reacted to her touch, how her body strained against her hand, and how she could feel the tremors race through her as she came. That was the most satisfying part for Anne... feeling her... knowing that she was climaxing, and *feeling* it... it was an indescribable sensation, and it was the best part of sex, to Anne. She wondered if Scully understood that at all. And... she wondered if she would be able to give herself to Scully the same way, assuming she wanted her, of course. That had always been a big hurdle for Anne... trusting someone enough to open herself up to them, literally. But she felt like she could trust Dana... like she *should* trust her. Afterall, Dana was honest about her feelings, telling her that she cared about her... that was good enough... wasn't it? Anne asked herself disgustedly. She wished that she could let go of her ever-present control... just enjoy someone's touch and let them make love to her. But no... she always had to hold back and keep the control, of her body and her emotions. Why? Dana Scully wouldn't hurt her... she had to let her have control... she could do that... just for a little while... Scully, having regained her strength and her nerves, sat up and looked at Anne shyly, a little smile playing on her rosy lips. Anne smiled coyly back at her, knowing what she must be thinking. "You're not embarrassed again, are you?" Anne asked quietly. "No," Scully replied with a small grin as she leaned down close to Anne's face, "That was... *amazing*...," she whispered lowly, her lips nearly touching Anne's. "I'm glad you enjoyed it," Anne whispered back with a smile as she pushed her mouth forward to capture Scully's waiting lips. Scully drank in Anne's warm, inviting kiss, letting her tongue slip out to dance with Anne's. They wrapped their arms around each other, deepening the kiss and letting their passions flare again. Anne pushed her hands into Scully's hair and clutched her tight, her mouth sliding back along Scully's cheek as she squeezed her eyes shut hard. "... goddammit...," she whispered quietly. "What? What's wrong?" Scully asked, a little concerned. Anne moved back and kissed her then spoke, keeping her lips nearly touching Scully's as she looked at her soulfully, "I didn't want to fall in love with you...," she whispered breathlessly against Scully's mouth. Scully's mouth opened, but she couldn't speak; she was too shocked at what she was hearing. "I didn't... I swear I *didn't*!," Anne said in an anguished whisper as her shaking head fell down to Scully's shoulder. Scully didn't know what to say... Anne was admitting that she was falling in love with her... she was shocked... exhilarated... and scared. She hesitated for only a moment, then she wrapped her arms tightly around Anne's shoulders and brought her mouth down to Anne's ear. "...I'm falling in love with you too...," she whispered to Anne. Anne hugged Scully tightly, nearly bursting into tears from the overload of emotions coursing through her body. She brought her face back up again, overwhelming Scully with a fiercely passionate kiss that burned into her lips and seared her soul with its intensity. Scully quickly thought to herself. They let their tongues tangle wildly as they tasted each other, suckling here, nipping there. Scully finally broke the kiss, pulling away from Anne as she slid off her lap slowly and stood up. She looked at Anne's heaving chest, wild hair, and dark eyes, and knew what she wanted. Anne looked at Scully hotly, her eyes raking over Scully's topless torso, undressing her mentally and wanting the opportunity to undress her for real. As Scully extended her hand to Anne, she realized that her wish just might come true... *********************************** end part 6 Barren Souls Part 7 of 7 Anne took Scully's hand in hers as Scully gently tugged her off the couch and lead her back to her bedroom. Anne's heart was pounding in her chest, and she could feel heat scalding her cheeks. Scully's room was darkened except for a little bit of light shining in through the window, and a small candle burning on a table beside the bed. Anne glanced nervously around the room as Scully walked over to the bed and sat down, pulling Anne to stand in-between her legs. Scully looked up at Anne and smiled softly, "Take this off," she said huskily as she tugged on the bottom of Anne's sweater. Anne smiled coyly and moved very slowly, pulling the garment up and over her head, then dropping it on the floor. She stood in front of Scully with her torso identically bared. Scully let her eyes absorb the sight... ivory skin and a soft, flat stomach... smallish breasts in a black satiny bra... a skinny gold chain resting on prominent collarbones... soft, dangling curls falling against a long, slender neck... Scully looked up at Anne while reaching out to trail her fingers down Anne's sides, making goosebumps arise quickly on Anne's skin. Anne's eyes were dark in the room, but Scully could still see the passion burning within them. Scully let her fingers wander down to the edge of Anne's jeans, where she unbuttoned and unzipped them, revealing some black panties. One corner of Anne's mouth curled upward as Scully looked up at her again and quirked a little smile as she gently pushed the jeans off her hips. Anne helped push them off the rest of the way, and soon she was standing before Scully in just her undergarments. She was svelte-looking... athletically slim, with small breasts and a short waist that flared out into angular hips, then tapered into long, shapely legs. She was built better than Scully had imagined - after all, it was hard to tell with her always being fully clothed. Scully put her hands on Anne's waist and pulled her close, pressing her lips against Anne's flat stomach and reaching up to place her palms against her back. Anne hugged Scully against her stomach for a moment, but then lifted her to her feet. Leaning down and kissing Dana tenderly, she let her fingers fall down to Scully's already undone jeans to give them a push downward. Scully helped to kick them off, leaving them both standing in their underwear, smiling and kissing. The feeling of skin against skin set off explosions in both of them, and Anne let her leg slide in-between Scully's legs in an effort to get even closer. Scully finally broke the kissing and looked up at Anne, brushing her thumb across her lips before she sat on the bed and scooted back toward the center of it. Anne climbed onto the bed and crawled up beside Scully, pulling her gently toward her so that they could lie on the bed facing each other. They laid still for a moment, staring intently into one another's eyes, perhaps contemplating what they were about to experience. Anne wanted to take things slowly... she wanted to savor every moment and every inch of Dana. She slid her leg in-between Scully's and tangled them together, then tugged on Scully's waist, pulling their bodies flush against each other. Scully smiled and willingly wrapped her arms around Anne, uniting their bodies as Scully leaned in to kiss Anne fully on the mouth. They tasted each other slowly and carefully, kissing upper and lower lips, letting each one grow slowly in intensity. Scully saw Anne's eyes dilate and darken as she seemingly stared into the depths of her soul... she felt a twinge of fright at the overpowering intensity of the moment, and yet she was incredibly turned-on at the same time. Scully watched nervously as Anne propped herself up and began to trail her fingers down her body. It had been so long since Anne experienced these sensations... the exquisite feeling of soft, supple skin underneath her fingertips... the gentle curves of a feminine body against her exploring palms... and the alluring scent of perfume combined with female arousal. She let her fingers travel all over Scully's body... down her arm... down her side... over her buttocks... across her thigh. She wanted to feel it all... every centimeter, and more. She sat up and gently pushed Scully onto her back, straddling her with one knee in-between Scully's legs. Gently leaning her face down, she pressed her lips to Scully's, bestowing a most tender kiss on her as she began her delicate assault. She kissed daintily along Scully's jaw, then brushed her hair aside and kissed all along her neck and throat, trailing feather-light kisses across her chest. She let them graze down in-between Scully's breasts, barely touching her skin as she continued downward toward Scully's jittery stomach. She was grazing all over Scully... feasting on her flesh... eating her alive... Scully thought she would go mad from the incredible sensuality of Anne's slow-burn... the sensations that swept through Scully's body were overwhelming her. Anne pressed her lips into Dana's stomach, planting a kiss there before continuing her journey around her body. She shifted over to Scully's left arm and let her lips travel up that arm, sweeping over her shoulders and upper chest to the right arm, where she trailed them back down to where Scully's right arm rested on her stomach. From there, Anne let her lips sneak down to the waist of Dana's panties, and she softly traveled them across the waistband, making Scully's heartbeat increase three-fold. Scully put her hands on Anne's head, letting her fingers weave into her hair as she felt a slight panic arise in her throat... she thought anxiously. She relaxed, however, when she felt Anne's lips meandering back up her stomach, chest, and throat to kiss her sensuously on the lips. Anne knelt above Scully, pulling the straps of her bra down off her shoulders and whispering, "take this off." As Scully's foggy mind fumbled with the clasp of her bra, Anne slid herself back down to Scully's panties and began to pull them off. Scully's heart raced wildly... she was scared for a moment and she felt the urge to cover herself up... but seeing Anne's approving grin as she flicked the panties aside reassured her for the time being. Anne knelt again, discarding her own bra and reaching for her panties until Scully sat up and reached out, stopping her hands. "Let me do it," Scully whispered, leaning in for a kiss. Anne turned and laid down on the bed now as Scully knelt and stripped the black panties off, revealing a surprise. There on Anne's stomach, near her hip bone, was a tattoo. It was a picture of a crescent moon, surrounded by a fiery ring of sun. Scully's mouth dropped open, and she looked up at Anne in shock. Anne simply smiled enigmatically at her, making Scully grin in amazement. <...the conundrum continues to surprise...> Scully thought as she tossed the panties aside. Scully touched the tattoo lightly as she let her eyes rake over Anne's long, lean body. She was tentative, unsure where to begin and what to do. Anne seemed to sense her hesitation, and she pulled Dana down to kiss her, bringing her hands around Scully's back and pulling her body down to lie atop hers. The feeling was pure electricity... flesh against flesh... soft heat against soft heat. Scully breathed heavily into Anne's mouth as their bodies fused together. Anne slid her hands up and down Scully's back and butt, pushing a thigh in-between Scully's legs again and letting it slide up to touch Scully's heat. Scully let out a small groan when she felt the contact. She almost wanted to grind herself against Anne's thigh, but she managed to keep it together and pull herself free from Anne's grip. She now took a turn hovering above Anne and examining her body. Scully started by pushing Anne's hair aside and kissing her throat, then wandering down across her collarbones and upper chest. She peppered her chest with small, soft kisses, smelling Anne's perfume each time her nose touched her skin. Anne brought her hands up and pushed them into Scully's hair, holding it lightly as the sensual exploration continued. Scully hesitantly let her instincts lead her as she took her time and allowed herself to adjust to the taste and feel of Anne's flesh. She indulged her lips and tip of her tongue and let them peruse every area of Anne's upper body... she wasn't quite brave enough to go any farther south. Anne's skin was warm, velvety smooth, and incredibly soft. Touching and kissing her was like nothing Scully had experienced or *hoped* to experience... it was so different from a man... it was absolutely divine. She had never seen a woman up close and personal like this, let alone touch one so intimately... she couldn't think of anyone she'd rather be experiencing it with than Anne. As Scully let her lips float down between Anne's breasts, she somehow found the nerve to stray sideways and brushed her lips over a nipple. Anne murmured a quiet "mmmm," and clenched her hands in Scully's hair. Encouraged by Anne's reaction, Scully opened her lips to take the nipple inside her mouth and suck it lightly. She flicked her tongue over its hardness and licked it delicately as Anne continued to make quiet humming noises. Scully released the bud and shifted over to the other one, not wanting to play favorites. She suckled and licked that one as well, relishing in the wonder and amazement of tasting a woman like this for the first time. Her hesitation and lack of expertise was unimportant to Anne, who hummed quietly with every touch of her nimble fingers and every kiss of her soft lips. She reached down and twined her fingers in Dana's hair, silently encouraging her while she alternated kissing her breasts. Scully couldn't believe it was happening... she couldn't believe that she was doing it... it was almost like a dream... a strange, sensual, erotic dream. And yet... it felt natural... perfectly normal. It felt as though suddenly, somehow, everything fell into place... and she understood. She now knew that *this* is what people meant when they spoke of love... when they spoke of making intense, passionate love with someone... *this* was it... *this* was the feeling... a perfect and beautiful union of two souls, truly meant for each other. Scully brought her face up to Anne's and seared her lips with a deeply intense kiss... she wanted to convey her feelings through it... she wanted to tell Anne how much she wanted her... how much she needed her... and... how much she loved her. It hit her like a freight train, and pounded in her head like a maddening mantra... "I love her... I love her... I love her." Anne seemed to read her mind again, and she kissed Scully back fiercely, hugging her close and wrapping her arms around her as they laid side-by-side once again. Scully let her hand slide down Anne's back to her butt, where she squeezed and kneaded it gently. Anne shifted her knee up and let it slide over Scully's thigh as she tugged on her waist and pulled her body in closer. Scully in turn pushed her knee up between Anne's thighs and let it glide upwards until it touched Anne's heat, making her shudder and gasp softly in Scully's mouth. Inflamed by Anne's arousal, Scully pushed Anne's hips back, making her lie on her back while Scully propped up on her elbow and leaned over her body. Anne smiled coyly, apparently pleased with Scully taking charge. Scully pressed her own smiling lips to Anne's as she began to dance her fingers along Anne's body. She let them drift about, from her side, to her breasts, to her stomach, to her protruding hip bones, then her thighs, her knees... she turned to watch them explore freely while Anne in turn watched her through half-lidded eyes. She watched as Scully let her hand slide slowly down her stomach to touch the little tuft of hair at the juncture of her thighs. She pushed her fingertips into the soft, kinky thatch, carefully feeling its texture. Scully leaned down to kiss the tattoo on Anne's stomach while she watched her fingers touch and feel all around. She stroked her fingers along Anne's groin and trailed them down along her inner thighs, all the while thinking about how Anne had pleasured her, and how she pleasured herself - what she liked, what turned her on... it was all she had to go on, and she hoped that it was good enough to please Anne. She felt her stomach clench with nervousness as she contemplated her next step. Anne squirmed slightly and twisted her fingers in Scully's hair as she inched closer to her heat. She told herself to just lie still and enjoy the feeling of being touched... of letting someone please her... letting someone love her. It was still difficult and hard to relax, but she could feel her arousal growing with each tickle of Scully's fingertips. Scully looked up at Anne for a moment, trying to read the dark look on her face, and telling herself to go for it. She leaned up and kissed her tenderly on the lips, carefully watching her eyes, and Anne slid her hands down to grasp Scully's neck and jaw as she returned the kiss fervently. Scully quickly pushed her fingers down over Anne's soft mound, letting her middle finger slip between the soft folds and into her hot, wet crevice. Anne's mouth fell open against Scully's as she let out a breathy gasp. It remained open while Scully slowly stroked her hand back and forth, carefully delving in then sliding back out, saturating her fingers in Anne's warm juices. Anne's thighs fell open and she pushed her hips upward as Scully swirled her fingertip around her swollen clit, making Anne's head fall back as she quietly sucked air between clenched teeth and squeezed her eyes shut. Scully watched with wide eyes as Anne's face contorted, indicating her climax was nearing. She was getting incredibly turned-on observing Anne's arousal... she wanted to make her lose control... she wanted to see, hear, and feel her come. She plunged her fingers down again, carefully letting them enter Anne and piston in and out while her thumb brushed across her clit. Anne grasped Dana's head, digging her nails into her scalp slightly while she thrust her hips against Scully's hand. Scully heeded the warning signal and quickly brought her face back to Anne's, wanting to kiss her deeply while she came. Anne kissed her profoundly for a moment, but soon could only gasp and groan as her orgasm erupted like a volcano, destroying her control. She squeezed Scully's head and pulled her against her chest as her whole body tightened and convulsed uncontrollably, releasing its powerful tension. Scully withdrew her hand and held onto Anne tightly, surprised by the force and intensity of her orgasm. She pressed her face into the dampened skin of Anne's chest, kissing it softly while she calmed down. She could feel Anne's heart racing wildly, thumping against her lips, and she felt her hair being ruffled by panting breath. Scully soon felt arms closing around her, hugging her tightly as lips descended on her head. "...christ...," Anne finally whispered breathlessly. Scully smiled and giggled a little, lifting her head to look up at Anne... she had her head tilted back with her eyes still closed, but she had a grin on her face. Scully just watched her silently for a moment, admiring the relaxed, sated look that she wore on her face. She reached up and lightly touched her fingers to Anne's flushed cheek, brushing her thumb across her soft, pouty lips. Anne opened her eyes to look at Scully... the deep blue sea locking with the crystal clear river... they said nothing, just stared at one another... breaking down walls and crashing through barriers... silently telling each other everything they were too frightened to say aloud. Scully's eyes grew misty as the "L" word began popping up in her head again. She wanted to say it aloud... but she was still afraid. Anne must have seen the tears starting to well, because she pulled Scully up toward her as she leaned down to place a loving kiss on her tremulous lips. Scully kissed her back harder, sliding her arms around her neck and letting her emotions pour out of her. She held nothing back as they kissed ardently, wanting to empty her very soul into Anne for protection and safekeeping. After a few minutes of intense lip-locking, Anne rolled them over so that Scully was on her back. She then lifted herself off of Scully and grasped her wrists, pulling her arms up over her head while pinning her with a smoldering look and a wicked grin, "...your turn...," Anne whispered huskily against Scully's lips, making gooseflesh erupt all over Scully's body. Scully could say nor do anything... she was too transfixed by Anne as she quickly began to devour her nude form, touching every inch with her fingers, grazing over every hair with her lips. Anne knew Dana was watching her every move, and it somehow heightened the excitement. She really didn't care what Dana did; she only wanted to feel her body beneath her palms and taste it beneath her lips. Every breath she took... every quiver of her skin... every tense of her muscles... Anne wanted to absorb everything, and more. After finally kissing and caressing all the way down to Scully's ankles, Anne slid herself back up her body and smiled slightly at her. Scully felt waves of shyness wash over her as she returned the smile tentatively, ever unsure of what Anne was thinking. Anne leaned in to barely touch their open mouths together, peering into Scully's eyes with pure affection, "You're so beautiful," Anne whispered lowly as she placed a tender kiss on Dana's lips. Scully broke into a toothy smile and wrapped her arms around Anne's neck, pulling her in for a deeper kiss. Scully's hands nervously ran up and down Anne's naked back, twining in her hair as their kisses alternated between tender and impassioned. Anne soon broke away, too eager to let her lips explore the rest of Dana's delicious body. She slid herself down again, kissing Scully's chest and the valley between her perfect, creamy breasts. She wanted to canvass her entire body, carefully inspecting every last part so that she could report the findings back to Dana's waiting lips. Anne slid her fingers around Scully's supple breasts, cupping them and feeling their fullness. Scully gasped slightly and arched her back as Anne let her lips surround the now- hardened nipples. She sucked and nipped gingerly at each silky bud until Scully was moaning softly and digging her fingers into Anne's hair and shoulders. She felt her groin surge with wetness as Anne moved her velvety lips further down her taut body, stopping to spread kisses all over her stomach and hips. She moved herself further down the bed and quickly slipped in-between Scully's legs, making Scully's head spin as she felt Anne's lips softly kissing a path down each upper thigh. Gently pushing Dana's knees apart, Anne leaned in to plant a kiss on each inner thigh. The sweet aroma of female essence filled her senses as Scully's quivering thighs yielded open to her. Scully had been feeling anxious about this moment, worried how she would 'handle' it. She had only ever let one person - a man - touch his mouth to her down there, and it was *not* pleasant, to say the least. The harsh stubble of his face scratched her tender parts, he didn't touch her in all the right places, and he was too rough, ultimately turning her off to one of the biggest sexual pleasures a woman could enjoy - again, according to her friends. She had a feeling things would be different with Anne, however... she hoped it would be tender, loving, and passionate, just like everything else Anne did. The anticipation was nearly killing Scully as Anne slowly meandered down to her nest of curls, gently kissing her all over and pushing her nose into the soft, kinky hair. Scully shuddered as Anne's warm breath gusted over her, and she gasped aloud when her tongue slipped down, daintily delving into her honey-drenched folds. She let out a groan and clutched Anne's head with her hands as she lapped delicately at her, savoring each little morsel with her lips and tongue. Scully began to writhe and mewl quietly, clenching and unclenching her fists in Anne's hair. <... oh god, oh god, oh god...> was all she could think. Her head was buzzing and she couldn't see straight, it was such an astounding, unbelievable feeling... Anne's soft lips touching her most sensitive parts, and her warm, wet tongue exploring and tasting her. Anne could feel her own body becoming heated with arousal as she quietly hummed her delight... Scully was warm, creamy, and so sweet, and the feel of her building excitement fueled Anne's hunger even higher. Anne's breathing quickened and she became more eager, slipping her hands under Scully's thighs and ass, angling her pelvis toward her. She carefully swirled her tongue around Scully's clit, then pressed her lips fully around the sensitive button of nerve endings, sucking lightly. Scully arched her back and thrust her hips into Anne's face, groaning with pleasure. Turned on even more by Dana's whimpering, Anne grabbed her ass tighter and laved her entire valley with her tongue as more nectar trickled out, dampening her nose as she stabbed with her tongue and then pressed it against the slippery nub. Anne yanked one hand free and dipped her fingertips in Dana's juices, carefully slipping a finger into Scully's burning-hot cavern. Scully's head fell back and she moaned again as Anne carefully penetrated her with first one, then two fingers. She began to thrust her hips against Anne's face as she felt her control slipping away. The sensation of Anne's long fingers gliding in and out of her and warm lips suckling her swollen, vulnerable clit made Scully's head spin and her body shudder uncontrollably. She was being devoured mercilessly, and she gripped Anne tighter as waves of excruciating ecstasy began crashing over her body. She couldn't hold out anymore... her back arched up off the bed and she groaned loudly as the orgasm ripped through her body, rendering her speechless and making her cunt convulse and grip Anne's still-probing fingers. Anne could feel the rush that spread throughout Dana's body as she came hard and fast, clutching Anne's head desperately. Warm juices trickled out of her valley as Anne slowed her suckling, feeling the orgasm subsiding. Kissing her labia and her groin delicately, Anne withdrew her fingers and pressed her lips to Scully's trembling thighs, letting her nose slide through the curly thatch of hair and up to her stomach where she planted another soft kiss. It was then that she felt Scully's stomach quivering and heard the soft sobbing. Anne looked up quickly, bringing her face up to Dana's and peering worriedly into her eyes. "What's wrong?" Anne whispered, brushing the curtain of copper hair away from Scully's eyes. Scully closed her eyes and shook her head slightly as tears dribbled down the sides of her face. She quirked a nervous little smile, "Nothing... nothing, it's just...," she whispered, trying to verbalize her feelings. She reached up and pushed a hand into Anne's hair, "It's just... so *good*...," she said with a small nervous smile. Anne frowned at her a bit, concerned that the tearful reaction was due to something else. Scully pulled Anne's head a little closer to her, "I guess I'm just a little overwhelmed...?" she whispered with a quivering smile, trying to ease Anne's mind. Anne still gave her a confused look, but she leaned down to place a gentle, loving kiss on Scully's lips, wanting to abolish all worry from Scully's mind. Scully wrapped her arms around Anne's neck and pulled her in for a deeper kiss, realizing after-the-fact that she was tasting herself on Anne's lips. It was incredibly intimate and erotic, and she hugged Anne tighter, kissing her lasciviously. ***************** They soon relaxed and laid in each other's arms, gently kissing and caressing, relishing in the exquisite feel of each other. After awhile, Anne propped up on one arm, looking down on Scully as she ran her fingers over her cheeks, jaw, lips, and nose. Scully opened her eyes and looked up at her with a grin, making Anne smile back at her. "What are you thinking about?" Scully asked quietly. Anne grinned at her, recalling their 'disagreement', "Uhmmm... I was just wondering if you've told your partner anything about this," she said as she continued to let her fingers dance along Scully's skin. "No... I haven't told him anything... why would I?" Scully said with a shrug. Anne shrugged back at her, "I dunno... you said you two were close, and I know you got snagged on the phone with me the other day... so, I wondered if you had said anything," she said. Scully giggled a little, "Yeah sure, when he asked me who it was, I told him 'oh that was the woman with whom I'm having a *torrid* love affair'," Scully said with a grin. Anne looked at her seriously, brushing a stray lock of bronze hair behind her ear, "Is that what this is? ... an 'affair'?" she asked quietly. Scully made a small confused face and smiled gently, "No... not to me," she said, shaking her head slightly and blinking slowly. "Then what is it?" Anne asked, raising her brows as she brushed her knuckles over Scully's lips. Scully smiled back at her, "I don't know... what do *you* think?" she replied with a smirk, craftily throwing the question back to Anne, who smirked at her, lifting one eyebrow. "I think... that this is the beginning," Anne said, trailing her finger down the side of Scully's face. "The beginning of *what*?" Scully asked as she raised her brows suspiciously. Anne touched her index finger to Scully's lips and regarded her seriously, "Of whatever we want it to be," she said quietly. Scully looked back at her seriously, "And what do *you* want it to be, Anne?" she asked with a whisper. "I want it to be *everything*," she whispered back as she leaned down to kiss Scully's supple lips. Scully wrapped her arms around Anne's neck, pulling her close and kissing her languidly as Anne pressed the length of her body against Scully's. They kissed for a few moments until Anne broke away, looking at Scully again, "So, you're never going to tell Mulder, or anyone?" she asked. Scully laughed and frowned at Anne, "Why are you so concerned about it? No - I don't intend to tell Mulder anything, nor anyone else... I don't think it's anyone else's business." Scully said seriously. Anne grinned at her as she leaned down to peck Scully on the lips. "Who have *you* told?" Scully asked, perking her brows. "I've never told anyone *anything*... well, my sister, Kate, is the only one I talk to about anything... she's the only one I trust," she said with a wry grin. "Why haven't you ever told anyone else?" Scully queried, a puzzled look on her face. Anne smiled softly at her, "Because, like you, I don't think my love life is anyone's business... besides... I doubt anyone would understand," she said sadly as she laid back down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. Scully propped up and looked at her, plainly seeing the sadness and frustration in her dark cerulean eyes. Anne looked back at her, "Telling your family that you're *gay*, right after you've gotten divorced, would be a bit *much*, y'know?" she said, quirking the corner of her mouth. "Yeah... I guess it would," Scully said quietly as she reached out to touch her fingertips to Anne's mouth. "So... I guess it's just you and me against the world, huh?" Anne said with a grin. "Yep," Scully quipped back, still stroking her fingers along Anne's face. "Well, that's ok... you're all I need," Anne said in a hushed voice as she reached up and pulled Scully down for a deep, lingering kiss. Scully's eyes welled with tears again and she let her lips unleash a fury of passionate kisses upon Anne's mouth. "...god I love you," Scully whispered against Anne's lips as she squeezed her eyes shut tightly, trying to hold back the barrage of tears that began to seep out against her will. "I love you," Anne whispered in return as she held Scully's face against hers and kissed it all over again and again. They held each other for a long time, not saying anything more... just caressing each other gently until they soon began to succumb to the dark welcome of sweet sleep. ******************************* Sometime during the night, Anne bolted upright in bed, suddenly aware that she was not in her own bed. She looked around in a panic, trying desperately to get her bearings. The room looked unfamiliar... it smelled unfamiliar... she was stark naked, and... someone or some*thing* was moving beside her. Anne's jolt had awakened Scully, and she slowly sat up. She blinked and looked around for a moment, quickly remembering that Anne was here, and they were sleeping together in her bed. But Anne sat beside her now, breathing heavily, pulling the sheets up over her body, and staring at her as though she had two heads. "What's the matter?" Scully whispered to Anne in sleep-slurred speech. Anne stared at her as realization of where she was and who she was with slowly dawned on her. "Are you alright?" Scully asked again, reaching out to touch Anne's exposed arm. Anne closed her eyes for a moment, now fully aware of her surroundings, and a little embarrassed at her panic. "Yes... I'm fine," she said as she relaxed the sheets and rubbed her eyes. She had forgotten about her habit of panicking in her sleep when slumbering in a foreign place. Apparently, her body had a way of 'knowing' when it was in unfamiliar surroundings, and it would wake up in a jumble of confusion. Anne slid her legs over the side of the bed and got out, slowly shuffling toward the bathroom. Scully worriedly watched her nude form walk out the door, then decided to go after her, just to make sure she was okay. When she reached the closed door of the bathroom, she carefully pushed it open, observing Anne leaning over the sink, splashing water on her face. Anne's upright body looked thinner and more pale in the soft light of the bathroom... she had numerous freckles on her shoulders, and Scully could see tan-lines from a bathing suit. Anne sensed that Scully was there, and she looked up into the mirror, seeing Dana standing in back of her. "Everything okay?" Scully asked timidly as she touched Anne's back lightly. Anne nodded at her, blinking and smiling weakly. "I'm fine," she whispered, "...Must have been dreaming or something," Anne said with a shrug, too embarrassed to tell Dana that she didn't know where she was. Scully gave a slight nod and darted her eyes around nervously as Anne turned around to look at her, patting her face dry with a towel. Scully watched her for a moment, suddenly worried that Anne was going to say that she had to leave or something. "Are you going home now?" Scully asked quietly. Anne frowned at her a little, surprised by the question, "No... did you *want* me to go home?" she asked in return, her brows arched expectantly. "No, no...," Scully spat out quickly, shaking her head, "...I want you to stay," she said earnestly. Anne looked at her and stepped closer to her, "Good... I want to stay," she said with a gentle smile. Scully smiled back at her and closed the gap between them, pressing her naked body against Anne's as she reached up to kiss her tenderly. Anne brought her arms around Scully's small, warm body, pulling her close and feeling familiar sensations sweep through her as she returned the kiss deeply. Scully let herself drown in Anne's passion as their mouths met hotly, tongues dueling and lips suckling as their hands roamed each other's bodies... they couldn't get enough of each other... it was like a drug... they craved the touch and feel of one another. Scully pulled away for a moment and took Anne's hand in hers, silently leading her back to the bed. When they reached the side of the bed, Scully sat down, pulling Anne between her legs. She kissed Anne's stomach, running her hands up and down her thighs and sides as Anne pushed her fingers into her coppery hair and smiled. Scully looked up and saw Anne's gentle smile, making her smile back... they looked at each other for a moment, silently acknowledging their love and happiness. Anne let go of Scully and climbed onto the bed behind her, crouching on her knees and straddling Scully from behind. An excited smile crossed Scully's lips as she wondered what Anne was up to. She felt herself melt helplessly when Anne leaned down and kissed her shoulders while letting her hands roam down her arms, stomach, and thighs. Anne leaned down further and kissed Scully's neck and jaw while dragging her fingers up her thighs and into her soft mound of hair. Scully let out a deep breath and spread her thighs apart eagerly as Anne pushed her fingers down into Scully's crevice, sliding them into the warm, wet folds. As Dana's mouth fell open, Anne captured it with her own while she plunged her fingers down further, letting them enter Scully's hot, tight furnace. She brushed her thumb back and forth across Scully's swollen clit while she slid her other arm around Scully's neck, pulling her close and kissing her harder, wanting to taste and feel Dana's ecstasy again. Anne began a maddening pace, pumping her fingers and swirling her thumb around Scully's vulnerable clit, driving her to the brink of orgasm. But, before Scully came, Anne abruptly removed herself from behind her, letting her lie back on the bed while she quickly inverted herself so that she could attack Scully's throbbing clit with her mouth. She pulled Dana's thighs apart farther, pressing her lips to the juicy folds, and snaking her tongue out to dip into her. She pressed her mouth around the engorged button and alternated flicking her tongue back and forth and sucking it mercilessly, while she plunged her thumb into Scully's cavern and brushed her middle finger across her anus. The combination of being fucked and eaten alive was too much for Scully... her body convulsed and jerked upward as Anne plundered her, and she reached out blindly, grabbing ahold of Anne's waist and ass as she began to slip over the edge. Scully groaned aloud, her thighs stiffening and her hips thrusting upward as the orgasm ripped through her body. Anne continued to hold her position steadfastly, hungrily devouring and suckling Scully, pushing her over the threshold again into another blinding orgasm. Anne pressed her body against Scully's and held onto her tightly as the final climax crescendoed and everything relaxed. She removed her hand and kissed Dana's thighs tenderly before she turned around and crawled back up beside Scully, pressing their bodies together and holding her tightly again. After a few breathless minutes, Scully turned to Anne with a grin, kissing her softly on the lips. "I'm going to be sore tomorrow, you realize that don't you?" she whispered to Anne. "No problem, I'm a doctor." Anne replied with a smile, making Scully giggle as they kissed again. After a few minutes of resting, Scully sat up and climbed on top of Anne, straddling her and leaning down to kiss her teasingly. Anne grinned widely, pleased by her mischievousness, and wondering what she would do to her next. Scully traced her tongue around Anne's parted lips, then slowly drug it down her chin and throat to her chest, where she began kissing Anne's soft breasts. Dana moved quickly, suckling Anne's nipples briefly, then moving down to her stomach and her protruding hip bones, all the while letting her hands caress and touch Anne's skin all over. Scully moved slowly down to Anne's curly thatch of hair, letting her nose and lips part the soft, kinky stuff, feeling and smelling and touching curiously. She rose up for a moment, pushing Anne's legs apart slightly and looking up at her as Anne propped herself up on her elbows. The understanding look in Anne's eyes told her that she didn't have to do this, but Dana smiled back at her, silently telling her that she wanted to do it... she wanted to experience it... she wanted to please Anne as she had pleased her. She leaned up to place a tender kiss on Anne's mouth, then slid herself back down, pressing her lips against Anne's inner thigh as she smelled and felt the heat emanating from her. The scent was sweet and musky... a smell like no other... something about it turned Scully on immensely, and she delicately began to kiss Anne's groin and labia, brushing her nose in the soft hair and darting her tongue out shyly. Anne watched with wide eyes until she could take no more... her head fell back as she laid back down on the bed, bringing her hands down to sink her fingers into Scully's hair. She tried desperately to hold still while Scully's tongue flickered out to taste her hesitantly. Scully was being so gentle and careful, Anne was sure she had no idea that she was driving her crazy with her solicitous invasion. Over and over again, Scully would slowly delve her tongue in to taste daintily, then push it up over Anne's throbbing clit... her actions began to grow bolder as she felt Anne clutching her hair in her fists, silently telling her that she was doing all the right things. Feeling more brave, she brought one hand up to let her fingertips dip into Anne's wetness, sliding them around and in-between the slick folds. She then slid her other arm underneath Anne's ass, grabbing hold firmly while she gingerly pressed her warm lips around Anne's clit and plunged a finger deeply into her. Anne couldn't hold still any longer... her hips thrust upward and she let out a long groan, fighting hard not to grab Dana's head and squeeze it. Scully was oblivious to Anne's clutching hands - she was too turned-on by Anne's reactions to notice. She latched on to Anne's clit hungrily, hammering it with her tongue as she let her fingers fuck her gently but deeply. Anne could feel the pulsations building inside her as she moved her hips urgently against Scully's mouth. Her back arched up off the bed involuntarily as her mouth fell open and gasped for air, the onslaught of Scully's tongue finally causing a thunderous eruption that catapulted her over the edge. Scully could feel the orgasm as it rocked Anne's body... Anne's muscles contracted around Dana's fingers, her stomach tensed, and she clenched her fists in her hair, mildly squeezing her thighs around Scully's head and pinning it until the climax slowly abated. Anne's thighs released Scully's head as they collapsed down on the bed, allowing Scully to carefully extricate herself from between Anne's legs and climb back up to lay on top of her. They both laid still for a moment, trying to catch their breath... their bodies and minds were too spent to do anything else. Scully pressed her lips to Anne's heaving chest, feeling her heart thudding beneath her sweat-dampened skin. Anne slid her arms up over Dana's back, pushing her hands into her hair and caressing her lovingly. They rested in silence for a long time, the only movement being the expansion of their chests as they breathed. A million thoughts spun round and round inside Scully's head, but the immediate one was... she felt fulfilled. She felt peaceful, she felt loved, and she felt *happy*. She knew now that she had never been happy before - not really. Sure, she had thought she was lots of times, but it was nothing compared to the way she felt right now. She never had anyone love her the way Anne did... never, never, never... it was beautiful and passionate, like nothing she'd ever experienced before. No man could ever come close to giving her what Anne did... it was so *completely* different... so totally emotional and unbelievably tender. Anne was a quiet, but immensely sensual and intense lover, wanting to please Dana first and foremost; seemingly able to give to her what she craved without either of them ever speaking a word. Scully felt like her heart would burst from the enormity of the feelings coursing through her, and she felt her eyes sting with tears as she quickly shifted herself so that they laid side-by-side. They held each other close and Anne kissed Scully tenderly through the damp tracks left by her tears. Anne never felt so deeply and so completely 'right' about anyone like she did with Dana. Dana was passionate, sensitive, and open... more than Anne dreamed she would be. Anne marveled at the way they were able to read each other's minds, agreeing perfectly on what they wanted and needed from each other, and giving eagerly. Anne truly believed that Dana Scully was her soul mate. They filled the voids in each other's barren souls... their hollow lives were full once more... their once-empty hearts were filling with love again, and each of them silently thanked the unknown Gods for allowing their lonely paths to cross. As they began to drift off to sleep once again, they cuddled and held each other tighter, wanting never to leave the safe haven of their secure, loving enfold. ************************************************************************= *** END