From: Laura Bontrager Date: Tue, 16 Nov 1999 14:17:50 -0500 (CDT) Subject: Endangered Species Source: xff Title: Endangered Species Author: RocketMan >lebontrager@iname.com< Disclaimer: Mulder and Scully belong to CC, 1013, and Fox. No fringe is intended. SPOILER::::Sixth Extinction 1&2--Post ep ====== Endangered Species ====== When his eyes fluttered open again, she was just down the hall, waiting for the elevator, illuminated by a soft slant of light. Her hair was short; he wasn't sure how he felt about that, and it glinted like gold and copper in the sun. "Scully?" he whispered, half expecting her to step into the elevator and leave him forever alone. Standing in his doorway with the feel of her lips on his forehead like a brand. She turned though, her eyes deep pools of flashing light, not even recognizable in the glare from the sun. She watched him for a moment, then slowly walked back towards his apartment. Her hands were stuffed into her pockets, and the black adn grey colors made her seem severe and mourning. When she was facing him again, he could see her eyes, and they softened her stern walk and gentled that firm mouth. He wanted to lean forward and receive another touch of her lips, but he took her hand and pulled her into his apartment instead. "Don't leave me alone," he said, smiling. Scully's forehead creased with amusing concern and she stepped into his kitchen, following his erratice path. Mulder pulled the coffee pot from the sink and shook out the last drops, then placed it beneath the spout of the coffee maker. He changed the filter, then shovelled a fresh scoop of ground coffee into the top. She watched him with a kind of detached interest, separating herself from the domestic feel of their closeness. His hand came back to attach to hers, thin and warm, tightly caressing her thumb with his long finger. Then they leaned against the counter to wait on the coffee, and she couldn't help smiling at his bandaged head and spikey hair. "What are you laughing at?" he grumbled. "You look. . ." "Cute. I know, sometimes it's a curse." She smiled and shook her head, then grabbed his New York hat again, watching his hair prickle and stand on end. It was like static electricity was setting up permanent residence in his hair. "Cute wasn't the word I was looking for," she replied, and smoothed down the sticking up pieces with her fingers. He ducked his head to let her fix it, but his hair was unruly and enjoyed sticking out at odd angles, and she gave up. Her hands dropped from his hair to skirt his cheeks, and then she was in that moment again, that intense far away feeling that made her feel caught up in a whirlwind. Mulder's eyes raised to see her, and they were powerful forces of gravity, sucking her into his black holes with the darkness of unspoken things. Her lips parted softly, but her breathing was still ragged, still thumping in her lungs like birds learning to fly. She was afraid of falling to the ground. His hands came up to cup her cheeks again, his thumbs large and dwarfing her eyes, stroking the black sleepless rings that still showed. She was absolutely still, absolutely frozen with the force of their spell. He moved this time, pushing his lips into her forehead, mimicking her action of before, pressing tightly to her skin as if he could melt right into her. She felt each ripple of his lips, every bump of his mouth, the ridges where his teeth pressed to the inside of his kiss. She closed her eyes and leaned into the warmth. She wanted to laugh and cry at the same instant. Laugh for their fumbling newness with emotion and with displaying feeling, and cry with their slowness. They were two endangered species, she and Mulder, too old to change, but threatened if they didn't. He let go of her and she crashed into his chest, hugging him tightly with all the relief in her. All the rush of feeling from seeing his eyes open on that table, hearing his three words, three words she would treasure more than any other three words because they were testimonies to his life, and witnesses to her own importance in his life. "You shine for me," he murmured then, his lips in her hair. She wasn't crying; she felt too warm and coddled to cry. At that moment, she was shining rather brightly, light pouring from her eyes and her fingertips and lips. These two old endangered species, adapting to this new thing, this encroachment on their sanity, and surviving, finding strength in light and love. His arms felt so good. ====== end adios RM