From: ephemeral@ephemeralfic.org
Date: Mon, 19 Jun 2000 00:05:16 -0500
Subject: Boiling Point by Ian Gold
Source: direct

Reply To: animalnut66@msn.com


Boiling Point
Ian Gold
I just finished watching a 
re-run - don't ya just love 
summer, and felt inspired.
Spoilers:  Yes some, for 
season 7
Rating:  R for language and 
implied consensual sex
Summary:  Mulder is pissed 
off when Scully returns from 
her adventure with the 
Smoking Man....




Fox Mulder's Apartment
4 pm

He gazed over the heads of the three 
Gunmen.  Langly placed the disk in 
the drive while Byers and Frohickie 
looked over his shoulder.
From his position in the 
doorway, Mulder  could not 
easily read the laptop screen.  
Scully sat on his worn leather 
couch, her Elbows on her 
knees, the look on her face 
pensive, exhausted.  He was so 
mad at her he felt like a time 
bomb waiting to explode.  
From his peripheral vision, 
he saw her 
look up at him, willing 
him to catch her 
gaze, but his sight was 
locked on the 
computer screen.
"This disk is empty," 
Langley stated.
"Completely," chimed in Frohickie.
"It can't be!"

CGB Spender's office building
4:30 PM

Scully's demeanor was tense.  
She swore to him that the 
office had be highly populated 
two days prior 
and that they stood in Spender's 
office.  He knew she had been 
used, and he told her so.   
He also knew 
she should be dead, but he 
wouldn't,  no couldn't 
continue that thought process.  
For whatever reason, the
 Smoking man had chosen 
to spare Scully, and while 
he'd die before thanking the 
bastard, he did appreciate 
the implications.  But now
he hadanother problem to solve.  His partner, 
his best friend, the only person in 
the world he cared about had ditched 
him, lied to him, endangered herself, 
and he had to push the panic down 
again and again, and remind himself 
that this story had reached a happy 
ending, at least where Scully's life 
was concerned.  And now they were
going to have to discuss it
because if they didn't it would
fester between them like an infected 
boil - getting bigger and more
painful as time proceeded.  His
anger boiled just beneath the 
surface, fear its driving force.  
If he had lost her...

They drove back to Scully's apartment.
neither spoke on the drive to 
Georgetown.  The silence remained
as they pulled up in front of her 
apartment.  Without uttering a
word, she exited the car and he
followed her.  If Scully thought 
his uninvited status was a problem
she did not mention it.

As she unlocked the door, Mulder 
practiced deep breathing exercises to 
slow his heart rate and slowly clenched
and released his fists in rhythm.  He
followed her through the door and 
waited while she turned on lamps
and shut and locked the door behind
him.

With her back to him, Scully paused.
"Look Mulder, I know you are pissed.
I know you are about 
to blow up at me so to save you the trouble, 
I know what I did 
was stupid, and I 
that I could be dead right now."
He shoulders slumped.  
He was surprised 
she'd been so forthright. But 
that still 
didn't appease his anger.  
He approached her from behind. 
He could feel the heat radiating 
off her body. He could 
see her ribcage rise and fall 
with each shallow breath she 
took.
"Scully, I can't even begin to 
describe how angry I was 
with you.  Why did you lie to 
me?  What was the thing he 
said that allowed you to break 
down your wall and gain 
your trust?"
"I never trusted him Mulder."
"Funny, I thought most people 
only run off with people 
they trust on weekend adventures."
Scully spun around.  That last 
comment had his had opened 
wound that she herself had 
inflicted. She would be dammed 
if she was going to take that 
from him.
"I'd say we have a classic 
case of the pot calling the 
kettle black. Wouldn't you say 
Mulder?" Her voice began to 
escalate, the flush in her cheeks 
turning from blush to 
crimson. "How many times have you 
ditched me Mulder?  How 
many times have I been worried sick 
about where you were 
and what you'd gotten into?  How 
many times Mulder, was I 
called to a hospital to literally 
pick up the pieces of 
your life and your body?"
"This was different...you knew 
how dangerous that son-of-a-
bitch was and you went with him 
anyway."
"Mulder this discussion is over.  
I told you my reasons 
and you will just have to 
accept them."
Scully turned and walked into her 
bedroom and closed the 
door.  Within minutes he could 
hear her sobbing, then the 
sound was muffled, as if she 
were crying into her pillows. 

Mulder felt like shit.  Fear of 
losing her had pushed him 
to say the things he said, and 
she was right.  Regardless 
of whether or not she had known 
the risks, she thought her 
quest would lead to a worthy end.  
Her motives were 
unselfish unlike his.  He'd only 
thought of losing her...how 
he would feel, how he would mourn.  
Once again he'd made 
it about him and his needs.  
"I am a prize asshole," he muttered 
to himself.

Scully continued to cry softly 
and his heart was 
shattering into a million pieces.  
He deserved his pain, 
but she didn't.  He barged into 
her bedroom without 
knocking and approached the bed.  
Scully lay face down, he 
face hidden in the cradle of her 
arms.  
"Get the hell out of here Mulder.  
I am not discussing 
this with you, and I want to be 
alone."
"Scully, I'm sorry..."
She leaped off the bed at him 
her eyes blazing, her fists 
slamming into his chest.
"I don't give a flying fuck Mulder 
if you are the sorriest 
loser in the world...get out!"
"I am not leaving."
"Fine, you stay, I'm outta here."
"Scully, no..."
He reached out and grabbed her 
as she tried to breeze by 
him, her walls of indifference 
firmly set in place.
"Let me go," she growled 
through her teeth.
When he did not immediately 
release her, she tried to slug 
him again, but his superior 
height and weight left the 
ensuing battle off balance.  
Mulder caught her fist mid-
swing and locked his arms 
around her.  
"Stop it Scully, I am not 
leaving, and we are going to 
work this out."
All hell broke loose then.  
Her anger driving her, Scully 
began to struggle and Mulder 
found that it took all his 
strength to restrain her.  
Finally he threw her down on 
the bed, landing on top of 
her and effectively trapping 
her body beneath her.  They 
were both breathing wildly and 
sweat beads were etching paths 
across her temples.  Their 
faces were inches apart, their 
bodies fused.  Time stood 
still for a moment.  Mulder 
could feel himself becoming 
aroused - and so could Scully.
"Scully, I love you. And, I am 
sorry, I was a complete 
bastard to say the things I said - 
I had no right after 
the hell I've put you through 
in the past.  Please - I was 
so afraid of losing you...I made 
this about me and what I 
want and need and that was 
selfish and cruel and I am 
begging you to forgive me."  
His plea was whispered in a 
ragged voice, just beneath 
her ear.  She said nothing, but 
he felt her body relax beneath 
him.  He chanced a look 
into her eyes and was relieved 
to see the fire had burned 
itself out.  Tears now mingled 
with the sweat leaving 
trails across her face and he 
was drawn to them as a bee 
is to nectar.  He kissed each 
of her temples, tasting the 
salt of her sweat, then each 
cheek, each eye and the 
corner of her mouth.  He pulled 
back to gage her demeanor 
and was inspired by her hooded 
eyelids and the depth of 
her eyes.  Softly he covered 
her mouth and kissed her 
deeply.  It took only a moment 
for her to begin kissing 
him back. He released her arms 
to run his fingers through 
her hair, down her neck and over 
her breasts.   The kiss 
grew in intensity.  Her tongue 
pushed at his mouth and he 
granted her entrance.
  
They made love for the first 
time that night.  Their first 
coupling was frantic and wild.  
Each of them feeding the 
fire of their collective 
passion with the memory of 
the 
fight and the need to repair 
the damage.  When it was 
over, Scully lay, cocooned in 
Mulder's arms, his body 
wrapped possessively around 
her and they slept.

Scully woke the next morning 
feeling relaxed, but pensive.  
She had no regrets of her actions - 
her trip with the 
Cancer man nor her love making 
with Mulder.  Both acts it 
seems had been destined to be.  
She knew there were still 
some things she and Mulder had 
to discuss.  While their 
night of passion had doused much 
of their respective 
anger, she had no intention of 
letting their feeling 
escalate to that level ever again.  
Mulder stirred behind 
her, kissing her shoulder.
"Morning Scully, are we speaking or 
are we just repeating 
our actions from last night?" 
he leered.
"Mulder, you are a complete jerk, 
but I love you.  Is that 
enough speaking?"
"Well, it's a start..."
"We have to make a pact Mulder.  
We have to agree that 
what happened last night can 
never happen again..."
"Was I that bad?" 
"You know what I mean.  I can't 
fight with you like that.  
Frankly I don't have the endurance 
to battle you and our 
enemies at the same time.  We are 
going to have to agree 
that in the future there will be 
no more ditching, no more 
trusting of unworthy people and 
no more concealing our 
feeling until they burst out - 
that is not a one sided 
request Mulder."
"I love you Scully.  I promise 
you, we will work on a 
little more verbal communication, 
I will stop jumping to 
conclusions, and I will probably 
never ditch you again."
"Probably Mulder?"
"Well, I can't promise for 
situations I can't know of now 
can I?
"Yes, you can."
"All I will promise to you is 
this Scully:
I promise to love you and keep 
you for better or for 
worse, in good times and bad 
and in sickness and in health 
and I know you will promise 
the same because you already 
do those things and more.  
That's all I can give you...is it 
enough?
"I can live with that - for now."