*******************************************************
WARNING:  This story involves explicit sex between consenting adults
and is rated NC-17.  If you are under the age of 17, or find detailed
descriptions of sex between consenting adults uncomfortable, please do
not read.

DISCLAIMER:  The X-files' universe, and all characters therein, are
the property of CC and Co, 10-13 Productions and Fox TN.  I'm just
borrowing them, without permission.  No copyright infringement
intended.

*******************************************************
For Just One Night (NC-17)
by Little JO

New Year's Eve, 1995
Somewhere in Washington

Dana Scully felt a shiver pass over her as she stood outside in the
chill night air.  She had had the sense to grab her cloak before
stepping out onto the ballroom's terrace, overlooking the Potomac.
Through the closed French doors, the soft strains of music reached her
still burning ears.  Burning from the anger she felt at her date, a
certain handsome, young agent named Rob Haskins, who, after a couple
stiff drinks, had morphed into an octopus.  Despite her protests, he
had continued to manhandle her.  So, Special Agent Dr. Dana Katherine
Scully had punched him, right in his smug face.  The effect was
instantaneous, and very satisfying.  Blood began to pour from his
nose, staining his white shirt front a vivid red.
  
Not wanting to wait for his reaction, she had fled to the ladies room,
his curse still ringing in her ears.

"Fucking Ice Queen," he snarled as other hands restrained him from
following her.

Remembering, Dana felt the heat spread from her ears to the rest of
her face.  As much as she tried to pretend that her Bureau moniker
didn't bother her, it did.  Especially tonight of all nights.

Tonight was supposed to be special.  It was the Bureau's annual New
Year's Eve bash.  Dana had come expecting to have a good time, to
relax and just be "Dana" for a little while.  Instead, she had decked
her date, who had gotten his revenge by leaving her stranded and
alone.

Her hand reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose as she stared
across the river at the lights beyond.  She was sure every agent
inside had heard about what had happened and was having a good laugh
at her expense.  Maybe if she stayed out here long enough, everyone
would be too drunk to care.  Then she could call a cab and get out of
here with her dignity intact.

*Or maybe you'll freeze to death, in which case it won't matter, will
it?*

Her thoughts were interrupted by a low voice, coming from behind her.

"There you are, Agent Scully."

Startled, she whirled around, coming face-to-face with Assistant
Director Walter S. Skinner.

"Oh. Hello, Sir."  Dana could tell she was frowning, and tried to
smooth her features into an impassive mask.  If Skinner had been
looking for her, it meant he probably had heard about Haskins.  Which
also meant she was in for a lecture.

Hoping to head him off, Dana interrupted him as he opened his mouth to
speak...

"Sir, I know what you're going to say.  And you're right.  What I did
earlier was both unprofessional and inexcusable.  I should never have
allowed Agent Haskin's behavior to make me lose my temper like that.
In fact, I have every intention of apologizing to Agent Haskins first
thing Tuesday morning."

As she paused for breath, Skinner held up a hand to stop her from
going on.

"Agent Scully, please.  That's not what I wanted to say you."

"It isn't?"  Now she was confused.

"No.  If anything I wanted to let you know, as your A.D., that I
thought your behavior was neither unprofessional, nor inexcusable
given the circumstances. Further, if anyone is *owed* an apology, it's
you.  Haskins is an ass, Agent Scully.  And anyone with an ounce of
sense knows it.  So, I wouldn't let this little incident ruin your
evening."

As if this settled everything, Skinner turned and began to walk back
inside.  He stopped when he realized she wasn't following him.

Instead, Dana, was standing, rooted to the spot, too amazed to move.
This was the last thing she had expected from her A.D.

Skinner's face visibly softened as he looked at the bewildered woman
across from him. His voice gentle, he asked, "Coming?"

Dana fidgeted uncomfortably.  "Ummm, Sir?  Maybe it would be better if
I just went home."

"Don't give them the satisfaction, Agent Scully," he said evenly.

Still unsure, Dana chewed on her lower lip considering her options.
Finally, she made her decision.  Walking over to him, she slipped her
arm through his, offering him a soft smile.

"Thank you, Sir."

"There's nothing to thank me for, Scully," he responded gruffly.  "And
please.  Call me Walter."

Her eyes narrowing, she tipped her head so she could see his face
better.

"All right.  But only if you call me Dana."

She was surprised by the shy smile that spread across his face.

"All right.  I'd be honored."

Once they were back inside, Walter took her wrap from her, murmuring
something about her "gown being too nice to keep covered," before
disappearing into the crowd of New Year's revelers.  

Dana stood waiting for him to return, noting with satisfaction that
most everyone was in varying states of inebriation.  Realizing she
could use a drink herself, she looked longingly across the ballroom
floor to the wet bar beyond.  To get to it, she'd have to run the
gauntlet of dancing couples.  Gathering her courage, she was just
about to strike out across the dance floor, when she caught a glimpse
of Skinner.  He was coming towards her, two glasses of champagne in
his hands.  Cocking her head to the side, she found herself watching
him as he moved easily through the crowd, admiring the lines of his
body.  He was truly an impressive looking man.  Big shoulders.  Big
chest.  Big...Dana gave herself a mental shake.  

*Where the hell did that come from?*

Stopping by her side, Walter handed her a glass.  "I ran into a waiter
on the way back," he said by way of explanation at her raised eyebrow.

To Dana's surprise, he didn't leave her, but stood, quietly sipping
his champagne and watching the couples on the dance floor.  Even more
surprising, she realized, she liked his presence.  Somehow, by
standing beside her, he was sending the message to the rest of the
agents that he was on her side.  And that felt nice.  Very nice.

Seeing she had finished her champagne, Skinner gently removed the
glass from her hand, setting it, along with his own, on a small table
by the French doors.  As the orchestra began a slow waltz, he turned
to her and extended his hand.

"Care to dance?"

Dana's blue eyes widened in shock.  Her and Skinner?  Dancing?  

Seeing her reaction, Walter couldn't help but smile.  "I promise I
won't step on your toes.  Much."

Setting aside her reservations, Dana gave him one of her rare, sweet
smiles.  "I'd love to."

Momentarily transfixed, Skinner stood, a flush creeping across his
features.  He then took her hand and led her out onto the dance floor,
making a point of ignoring the stares and whispers.  Taking her slight
frame in his arms, he began to gently guide her in the waltz. 

Even in her high heels, Dana barely came up to his shoulder.  One
large hand rested lightly on her waist, while the other gently cradled
her much smaller hand against his chest.  Moving to the music, their
bodies were so close, yet barely touching.  Still, Dana found herself
acutely aware of the man holding her.  The heady scent of his cologne,
the powerful lines of his body...

...Dana suddenly felt a rush of heat suffuse her body.
Looking up into his dark eyes, her breath caught in her throat.  There
was no mistaking what she saw in them.

Almost as if she had been burned, she stopped dancing, quickly
stepping away from him. 

"Ummm, I think I need some fresh air."  

Despite her pounding heart, Dana managed not to run from the dance
floor.  Although she did end up standing in a corner of the terrace,
for the second time that evening, but without her cloak.  Wrapping her
arms around herself to stop her shivering, she drew in a long shaky
breath, repeating to herself, "I will not think unclean thoughts about
my boss.  I will not think unclean..."

Her mantra was interrupted by gentle hands carefully wrapping her
cloak around her shoulders.  

"I thought you might like this," Walter said, his breath warm on her
ear.  Another shiver ran through her body, but not from cold...

"Thanks."  

As she turned around to face him, Walter began to run strong hands up
and down her arms to warm them.  Dana instinctively leaned towards
him, her body seeking his heat.  She was only marginally aware that
his hands had come to a stop, resting on her shoulders, as her face
pressed into his chest.  Taking her chin gently between his thumb and
index finger, he lifted her head so he could look at her.

The sounds of the others counting down to midnight floated out to them
on the breeze.

"Ten-nine-eight-seven"

"Would you like me to take you home, Dana Katherine Scully?"

"six-five-four-"

There was no misunderstanding what he meant.  Dana swallowed, then
nodded imperceptibly.

"three-two-one!"

Smiling, Walter Skinner covered her lush, red mouth with his own...

"Happy New Year!"

With a sigh, Dana's mouth opened to his, their tongues sliding over
each others hungrily.  Breaking contact, Walter's hands cradled her
face as he placed nibbling kisses along her jaw, capturing her ear
lobe between his teeth. Dana tried unsuccessfully to keep a moan from
escaping between her lips.  Looking down at her, Walter smiled at her
response.

"Maybe I should go get the car," he said, his voice husky. "Meet me
out front in five minutes?"

Not trusting her voice, Dana just nodded.

Turning, Walter walked quickly from the terrace.

Once he was out of sight, Dana slumped against the balustrade.
Huddling inside her wrap, she made a conscious effort to ignore the
little voice in her head that sounded suspiciously like her eighth
grade teacher's, Sister Agatha.

*Dana Katherine...Just what do you think you're doing?*

After a brief confrontation, in which Sister Aggie was told in no
uncertain terms to mind her own business, Dana casually walked through
the ballroom and into the hotel lobby.  Once outside, she looked
around for Walter.  He was standing by his car, a black BMW, patiently
waiting for her.  Sliding into the passenger seat, Dana felt a thrill
run through her as she fastened her seat belt...

*This is wrong,* the voice whispered.

*No, this is right,* she thought, glancing at Walter as he took the
driver's seat.

Thirty minutes later, they turned into the driveway of an old, white
brick, Colonial.  Opening the door for her, Walter gently held her arm
as he lead her up the walk and inside.

Pausing in the well lit hallway to take in her surroundings, 
Dana then followed Walter as he walked into the room on the right.
Comfortably furnished and spacious, there was a large fireplace
against the far wall.

Tossing his coat over a chair, Walter walked over to it and quickly
got a fire going.  Straightening, he turned to see Dana staring at
him, with wide eyes, her cloak still wrapped around her shoulders.
Moving to her, he gently removed it, adding it to his own on the
chair.  She shivered slightly as he took her hand.

"Your hands are like ice.  Come sit by the fire."  

Depositing her in the chair nearest the warmth of the now merrily
leaping flames, he turned to get them something to drink.  Her hand
closing on his wrist stopped him.  When he saw the look of uncertainty
in her eyes, he kneeled down in front of her, taking her face between
his hands.  Looking into her eyes, he tried to gauge her feelings.

"Dana, you...we...don't have to do anything you don't want to."  He
meant it to be reassuring, to let her know that he wasn't trying to
take advantage of her, that she could leave any time.  

Dana leaned against him, pressing her face against his shoulder.
Lifting her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes, he smiled.
Tentatively, she reached out a hand and caressed his clean shaven
cheek.  He watched her, holding his breath, as her fingertips traveled
down his throat, finally coming to rest against the knot of his bow
tie.

"I'd like to stay," she said simply.

With a smile, he drew her forward and kissed her, repeating the
earlier exploration of her mouth with his tongue.  Dana felt her
breath quicken as he slowly kissed his way down the side of her neck,
dropping kisses on her shoulders and chest, coming to a stop where the
tops of her breasts peeked out from the bodice of her blue velvet
gown.  Nuzzling their softness, he reached behind her to ease its
zipper down, only to have her stop him.

"No...let me."

Standing up, Dana slowly unzipped the dress, letting it slide over
soft curves to the floor.  Walter's eyes widened at what she was
wearing underneath.  A strapless, black push-up bra and matching lace
panties...sheer black silk stockings covering shapely legs and
fastened at their tops by a garter belt.

Walter kneeled, mesmerized by the image she made.  Backlit by the
fire, her skin flushed by the heat, she looked beautiful.  

Dana could see the admiration in his eyes as she kneeled back down in
front of him.  Murmuring, "We're a bit overdressed, aren't we?" Dana
quickly, and efficiently, divested him of his jacket, tie, shirt and
cummerbund.  Trembling at the feel of her hands as she stripped him of
his clothing, Walter remained perfectly still, until she ran her hands
over his chest, nails gently scratching his nipples.  Groaning aloud,
he jerked, then reached for her, drawing her to him and easing them
both to the floor.  Dana could feel his erection, though the thin
cloth of his slacks, pushing insistently against her thigh.  

As his mouth hungrily devoured her own, he reached behind her,
unhooking her bra.  Pulling back slightly, he lightly caressed and
squeezed her breasts, admiring their soft fullness.  He then bent,
alternately closing his mouth over  one, than the other, rosy peak.  

Dana gasped as the heat and wetness of his mouth sucking and tugging
at her breasts created a dull ache between her thighs.

Kissing a wet trail down her belly, he undid the fasteners of her
garter belt, slipping the thin silk first from one then the other leg,
lazily squeezing and messaging her muscular calves and slender ankles,
sensitive fingers, caressing the backs of her knees and inner thighs.
Bending his head, he placed a kiss at her opening, pausing when a gasp
escaped her mouth.

"So sweet," he sighed, the feel of his soft breath sending a shudder
through her body.  He began to trace her outer lips with his tongue,
drinking in her slightly musty, intoxicating smell, nuzzling her
clitoris with his nose.

Dana writhed against him, the ache between her legs becoming almost
unbearable, the tension coiling tightly in her womb.

"Oh, please..." she whimpered, as he parted her with his thumbs,
thrusting his tongue inside her.  Her hips bucked helplessly against
his mouth as he suckled her clitoris, massaging it with his tongue,
nibbling its sensitive tip.  Dana almost screamed when he inserted
first one, then two fingers inside her and began stroking in and out,
never breaking contact with his mouth.

Just when Dana thought she couldn't bear it, that she would explode in
ecstasy, he stopped.  A groan of disappointment escaped her as she
felt him pull away.  Her chest heaving, she stared up at him, her eyes
black with need.  With a sly smile, Walter slowly unbuckled his pants,
sliding them, and his boxers off, along with his shoes and socks.  As
his erection sprang free, Dana bit back a moan.  He
was...well...*very* impressive.  Licking her suddenly dry lips, Dana
managed a hoarse, "Please..."

With a growl, Walter sank to the floor, and roughly seized her by the
hips, pulling her underneath him.  Dana cried out as he thrust deep
inside her, filling and stretching her, his cock bumping painfully
against her cervix.  The pain quickly turned into pleasure as he began
to move, drawing his straining cock almost all they way out, before
sinking back into her heat.  Dana wrapped her legs and arms around
him, her hips curling to meet each stroke, her hands caressing the
muscles of his shoulders and back, kneading his ass, licking at his
chest and shoulders as he moved inside her.

She came long and hard, emitting a high pitched keening noise as
powerful muscles gripped his cock like a fist, triggering his own
orgasm.  As his searing hot come poured into her, she was racked by
aftershocks of pleasure.

*I'm going to pass out,* she thought, gasping for air.

His body jerked once before finally coming to rest on top of her.
Gently rubbing his lips against her neck, he raised himself onto his
elbows, not wanting to squish her.

Grinning down at her, his eyes twinkled mischievously.

Smiling, Dana lightly smacked his shoulder.  "Don't look so smug."

His smile only broadened.  "Oh, I don't know.  It's not often I make a
woman scream in ecstasy."

Dana felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment.  "I was kinda loud,
wasn't I?"

Turning serious, Walter gently brushed her lips with his.  "I've never
been so turned on."

Dana's face burned even hotter, only this time with pleasure.

Rolling off of her, Walter stood, extending his hand.  "Let's go get
something to eat.  I'm starved."

Laughing, Dana took his hand and allowed herself to be pulled to her
feet.  Feeling a little self conscious, she grabbed Walter's shirt,
buttoning it as she followed him out into the hallway and to the
kitchen.  Large, with plenty of counter space, it gleamed with all new
appliances.  Watching as Walter walked over to the huge refrigerator
that hummed in the corner, Dana once more tipped her head, admiring
the lines of his body.  He was built like linebacker--broad shoulders,
trim waist, narrow hips.  And a truly lovely ass.  

Walter unself-consciously stood, hands on hips, looking at his frig's
contents.  Obviously unimpressed by what he saw, he checked the
freezer next.  Dana, moving to stand behind him, peeked around his
shoulder to see inside.  With a yelp, she reached under his arm,
snagging the container of Haagan Dasz (tm) double Dutch chocolate ice
cream.

"Spoons?" she asked, looking around the kitchen.  Homing in on the top
drawer closest to the sink, she opened it.  "Ah ha!" she said
triumphantly, retrieving the desired utensil.  Leaning against the
counter, she ripped off the lid and tore into the contents.  A
satisfied sigh escaped her lips as she took the first mouthful.

Walter stood, watching her with a bemused expression on his face.  

"Do you think I could get a bite of that?"

Dana stared at him with wide, innocent blue eyes, the spoon, loaded
with ice cream arrested in mid-air.  Then smiling, she proffered the
spoon.

Walter sauntered over to where she stood and bent his head, taking the
cold, creamy substance into his mouth.  Dana took another mouthful,
feeling suddenly very warm, despite the ice cream.  Swallowing, she
stood on tiptoe, leaning up to kiss him, flicking her tongue teasingly
between his teeth.  Shuddering, Walter deepened the kiss, feeling her
cool mouth open to his, tasting the chocolate on her tongue.  Breaking
the kiss, he took the ice cream and spoon out of her hands, filling
his mouth again before setting it down.  He then gently lifted her and
set her on the counter's edge.  Breathing heavily, Dana stared at him,
her pale blue eyes no longer innocent.  Unbuttoning her shirt, he
leaned forward, gently taking her nipple into his mouth.  Dana moaned
as a  delicious shiver ran down her spine at the feel of his cold
mouth and tongue on her heated flesh.  Shrugging the shirt off her
shoulders, she wrapped her arms and legs around him, feeling his cock
harden as she rubbed her body against his.  Nibbling on his ear lobe,
she leaned in and whispered, "Take me, Walter."

Her words drove all rational thought from his mind.  Lifting her
slightly, Walter impaled her on his throbbing erection.  Dana
whimpered, burying her face in his shoulder as he began to slowly
rotate his hips, thrusting upwards into her.   Grasping a handful of
her hair, he forced her head up, pressing demanding lips to hers,
driving his tongue between her teeth in synch with their increasingly
frenetic pace.  Dana came almost painfully, her body jerking against
his, his mouth swallowing her cries of pleasure.  Feeling the tension
building in his balls, Walter slowed down, then withdrew, not wanting
to come just yet.  Over her protests, he lifted her, carrying her over
to the kitchen table.  She squirmed as he lay her down on its cool
surface, then mounted her, lifting her legs over his shoulders, and
entering her once more.

"Oh, yes, yes, yes," she chanted over and over as he plunged hard and
deep inside of her, lifting her hips into his every thrust.  She had
never been penetrated so deeply.  The ache between her legs began to
build again.  Walter, driven wild by her cries, felt his balls tighten
and then he was coming, pouring himself into her, pinning her beneath
him.  His cock spasming inside of her pushed her over the edge.  Dana
jerked in his arms as another powerful orgasm ripped through her,
nails digging into his back as she sank her teeth into his shoulder to
keep from screaming.

The pain of her "love bite" triggered a smaller orgasm in Walter.
Crying out, he lunged forward, then lay still, completely spent.
Feeling Dana stir under him, he raised his head with effort to find
her gently tracing the broken skin left by her teeth, a slight frown
creasing her forehead.

"Sorry."

Grinning weakly, he responded, "Not a problem."  They lay like that
for a while, too exhausted to move.  Finally, Walter withdrew from her
and stood.  Dana sat up with a groan.

"I won't be able to walk tomorrow."

Chuckling, Walter helped her off the table.  Slowly and wearily, the
two made their way upstairs to his bedroom.  Dana collapsed on the
bed, falling asleep almost instantly.  Smiling, he lay down beside
her, tenderly gathering her into his arms and pulling the covers over
their bodies.  However, he didn't fall asleep immediately.  Laying
awake, Walter gently stroked her hair, watching as the dawn's light
slowly crept into the room through the partially open blinds, deep in
thought.

************************************************************

FBI Headquarters
Washington, D.C.
January 3, 1996
5:50 p.m.

Dana sat at her desk, absentmindedly scrolling through the data on her
screen.  She and Mulder were just wrapping up their last case.  Which
meant that a summons from the Assistant Director was imminent.

Walter Skinner.  The thought of him brought a slight blush to her
face.  Ducking her head, she feigned interest in the open file resting
on her lap, her red hair forming a shield against Mulder's astute
gaze. She knew he knew something was up.  Because, for the last few
days, Dana hadn't exactly been herself.  Her mind kept wandering.  She
had misplaced files.  Worse, she had spaced out while Mulder was
talking to her about a case.  She had felt a pang of guilt at the hurt
look in his eyes when he realized she wasn't listening.

All because she kept thinking about where she had been exactly three
days, 14 hours and...

10 minutes, she thought, glancing at her watch, 

...ago.  And what she had been doing.  And with whom.  

She knew she was obsessing.  But somehow, Walter S. Skinner had gotten
under her skin.  Which alarmed her.  She liked being in control.  But
her control had definitely slipped since their "encounter."

So she sat, trying to sort out exactly what she was feeling.

A little voice in her head whispered sourly, *I think it's called
lust, Dana.*

Lust.  Was she in lust with Skinner?

Dana was startled out of her reverie by the phone buzzing on Mulder's
desk.  So startled, her hand jerked, hitting the coffee cup she had
ill-advisedly set on the edge of her desk.  It crashed to the floor,
splattering its contents on it, Dana's shoes and her cream colored
slacks.

Leaping to her feet, Dana let out an explosive "Shit!" just as Mulder
answered the phone.

"Mulder...Um, I'm sorry Sir, what was that?...Yes, Sir.  Agent Scully
and I are on our way up."  Replacing the receiver, he sat for a moment
staring through hooded eyes as his usually self-possessed partner
frantically dabbed at the stains on her suit with a handful of paper
tissues.

Realizing Mulder was looking at her like she was a lunatic, Dana
stopped and turned, hands on hips.  "What?" she growled.

"That was Skinner."

"And..." she prompted, feeling herself flushing even redder.

"He wants to see us.  Now."

With a snort of disgust, Dana tossed the tissues in the waste basket
by her desk.

"Well, let's go then."

"Don't you think you should change, or something."

*Oh, I'd like to do "or something," all right,* she thought grimly.
Instead, she waved her hand, dismissing the idea.

"All I have are my workout clothes.  And I don't think spandex would
be appropriate attire for a meeting with Skinner."

"Oh I don't know.  Skinner might enjoy that," Mulder said, leering at
her.

If it were possible, Dana turned an even deeper shade of pink.  

"Muuulderrr."

"Okay, okay," he soothed, getting to his feet and pulling on his suit
coat.  "We'd better get upstairs."

Mulder politely waited for her to proceed him out the door. Locking it
behind them, he followed her down the hall, a slight frown creasing
his brow.

*******************************************************

Walter Skinner was standing, looking out the window when a knock
sounded on his door.  Turning, he barked...

"Come."

Scully walked in, with Mulder close on her heels.  Although she had
calmed down considerably on the way upstairs, she still was feeling a
bit off-balance.

Which might explain why, when the heel of her shoe caught on the
A.D.'s carpet, her ankle suddenly twisted underneath her.  Mulder and
Walter watched in horror as, with a cry of pain, she crumpled to the
floor.  Mulder stood rooted to the spot, too amazed by his partners
sudden onslaught of klutziness to move.  So it was Skinner who got to
her first.  

Squatting down in front of her, he asked, "Are you all right, Agent
Scully."

Dana fought down the urge to snarl, "What do you think, butt wipe?"
deciding that would be an unwise response given to whom she was
speaking.  Instead, her eyes watering from the pain, she gasped, "I
think I broke my ankle."

Mulder, recovering from his initial shock, also squatted down beside
her.  Between the two of them, they managed to get her right leg,
which had twisted underneath her when she fell, straightened out.  Her
ankle was already swollen, the skin turning a mottled purple.  

Dana sat, gnawing on her lower lip to keep from crying from the pain,
as Mulder and Skinner discussed how best to get her to the hospital.
Mulder had brought his car.  Skinner had parked, and then ridden into
the city on the Metro.  She was only half listening to this exchange,
when she heard Skinner insist that he would carry her downstairs while
Mulder went to get his car.  

With a start, Dana began to protest. "No! No, really, it's okay.  I'm
perfectly capable of getting downstairs on my own.  Mulder, if you'd
just give me a hand, I'm sure I..."

"Disregard that request, Agent Mulder," Skinner ordered. Pinning Dana
with a stare, he continued, "Special Agent Dana Scully, you will
remain right where you are.  I will not have you further injuring
yourself on FBI property.  Is that understood?"

"Yes, Sir," she squeaked, her blue eyes huge in her pale face.

"Good.  Agent Mulder.  Go get the damn car."

Mulder, glad for something to do, muttered "Yes, Sir," before hurrying
out the door.

Once he was gone, Walter's face relaxed.  Bending, he easily lifted
her into his arms, apologizing when she stiffened with pain.

"Sorry."

Dana gingerly placed her arms around his neck, resisting the urge to
press herself against his body.  

As they made their way to the elevator, Dana was acutely aware of how
the muscles in his arms, shoulders and chest felt as he moved with her
in his arms.  His close proximity was like an aphrodisiac.  Closing
her eyes, Dana tried to tamp down the wave of heat that washed over
her.

Sensing the effect he was having on her, Walter quietly said, "I think
we need to talk, Dana." 

When his observation was met with silence, he looked at the woman in
his arms.  

"Maybe I'll stop by this evening?"

Her arms tightened around his neck.

"Do you think that's wise?"

"No.  But we have to...talk," Walter insisted, his dark eyes capturing
her gaze and holding it.  The temperature in the elevator definitely
rose by a few degrees.

They were still intently studying the other when the elevator's doors
opened on the first floor. Licking her lips, Dana's eyes slid away
from his intense stare.

"Mulder's waiting, Sir."

"I'm aware of that, Agent Scully," he said hoarsely.

Mulder anxiously stood by the car as the two of them came outside.
Settling her into the passenger seat, Skinner said, "See that she gets
to the hospital safe and sound, Agent Mulder."  Without a word to
Dana, he turned and strode back inside the building.

Staring after the A.D. for a moment, Mulder mumbled, "Curiouser and
curiouser," before walking over to the driver's side and getting in.

**********************************************************

Dana Scully's Apartment
Later that Same Evening

It took her almost half an hour to convince Mulder to leave.  He was
finally satisfied that she'd be all right, once she promised to take a
pain pill, prop up her leg and get some rest.

However, he paused just inside her front door, turning to look at her
as she lay on the couch, her leg in a cast, dressed in a pair of
baggy, old gym shorts and a fitted, long-sleeved T-shirt.  Clyde the
Pomeranian happily perched on her chest, watching Mulder with soft
brown eyes.

"You know, I'm always just a phone call away if you need anything.
Even if you just want to talk."

Unsure what he was driving at, Dana decided to play it cool, 

"Thanks, Mulder," she said softly.

With a nod, Mulder left, the door locking behind him.

Still pale from her ordeal, Dana slumped back against the pillows,
utterly exhausted.  "Well, Clyde, what do you think?  Should I kill
myself now, or wait for Mulder to do it when he finds out about
Skinner?"  Clyde's response was to stretch his little body forward and
earnestly lick her chin, whimpering softly.

"Yeah, you're right. Deny everything.  Besides...it was only for just
one night..."

She was surprised when this admission did *not* make her happy.  She
assumed that Skinner was coming by to tell her that whatever had
happened on New Year's Eve was a mistake--a momentary lapse in
judgment.  That it would never happen again.  To think otherwise was
completely irrational.  A clandestine affair with a subordinate wasn't
his style.  And they were both consummate professionals.  Weren't
they?

Still, she couldn't stop thinking about him.  And she couldn't stop
thinking about him because she wasn't sure what, or if, he was
thinking about her.  Had she gotten under his skin the way he had
under hers?  If that look in the elevator was any indication...
 
Her train of thought was interrupted by a knock on the door.  Dana let
out an "ooof!" as Clyde launched himself at it, using her stomach as a
spring board.  Dana struggled to her feet, leaning on her crutches as
she hobbled over to look through the peephole.  Walter Skinner stood
on the other side in her hallway.

"Damn it, Clyde," she hissed, "you're not making my life any easier."
The dog excitedly kept circling around her legs, threatening to get
tangled in her crutches with each pass he made.

"Clyde, sit," she ordered, undoing the dead bolt and opening the door.
Clyde obediently sat, his tail going a mile a minute as Walter walked
into the room.

"Sorry to get you up, Agent Scully," he said, scowling down at the
little ball of red fluff sitting at his feet. 

*Oh, oh,* she thought.  *Not a dog lover.*

"That's okay. I've been expecting you."

Carefully making her way back to the couch, she lowered herself into a
sitting position, laying the crutches on the floor beside her.  With a
grimace of pain, she resettled her plaster encased leg on a pile of
pillows.

Noticing Walter standing awkwardly by the door, she gestured towards
the other end of the couch.  "Please, make yourself comfortable."

As he sat down, Dana noticed Clyde politely waiting for her to give
the okay command.

"Good boy, Clyde.  Okay, come."

The dog happily bounded over to them, choosing to hop into Skinner's
lap.  Dana released an internal sigh of relief when the A.D. began to
gently stroke the little dog's fur.

Propping herself up against the couch's arm rest, she sat, watching
him gather his thoughts.

After what seemed an interminable silence, Dana grew impatient.

"Walter..."

"Dana, I..."

They both stopped.  Walter gestured for her to go on.  "You first."

Taking a deep breath, Dana decided to plunge ahead, adopting her best
no-nonsense tone of voice.

"I know what you're going to say, Walter.  And I agree 100%."

Surprised, Walter looked at her.

"You do?"

"Yes.  I know you don't think any less of me because of what happened.
And I want you to know that I still have the deepest respect for you."

For the second time in recent memory, Walter held a hand up to silence
her.  

"Dana, please.  That's not what I came here to say."

Dana felt a sense of deja vu as she said, "It's not?"

Smiling, he shook his head.

"I don't regret what happened between us.  In fact, I haven't been
able to stop thinking about you."

Dana flushed with pleasure.  "Really?" she blurted out before she
could stop herself.

*Geez, Dana, act like a 12 year old why don't you.*

Walter set Clyde on the ground and turned to face her, resting his
hand lightly on her good leg.  Dana felt a shiver run through her at
his touch.

"Yeah," he said, tracing a lazy circle on her knee.

Swallowing, Dana tipped her head to the side.  "So, what now?"

Leaning forward, Walter took her hand in his.  Turning it over, palm
upwards, he pressed a kiss into its center.  "What do *you* want,
Agent Scully?"

Licking her lips, Dana said huskily, "I think I'd like to keep my
options open."

Smiling, Walter reached up and caressed her cheek.

"Good," he said softly.  "So would I."


FBI Headquarters
Washington, D.C.
February 14, 1996

Dana Scully hurried through the FBI's maze of hallways on her way up
to the Assistant Director's Office.  She and Mulder were supposed to
meet with the A.D. at 8:00 a.m. sharp.  It was now 21 minutes after
8:00.

The generally unflappable Agent Scully was running late.  Her alarm
hadn't gone off and she had ignored Clyde, the Pomeranian's efforts to
get her out of bed.  As if that wasn't enough, her car had shuddered,
wheezed twice and then gone still.  It was out of gas.

Cursing her luck she had literally run the few blocks to the nearest
Metro stop praying she had exact change.  She did, arriving at FBI
Headquarters disheveled, out of breath and with no time to put things
right.

Rounding the last corner, her hair flying, she saw Mulder walk out of
Skinner's office, the A.D. on his heels.

"Yes, Sir.  I'll tell her, Sir."  

Turning, he saw Dana.  "Scully, where've you been?"

Dana pushed a lock of auburn hair out of her eyes, and glared at her
partner.  Before she could say anything however, Skinner's voice
rumbled past Mulder's head.

"Agent Scully.  May I see you in my office, please."

"Yes, of course."

As she attempted to smooth her hair back into place, Mulder brushed
past her on his way down the hall, mouthing, "He's in a mood."

Without thinking, Dana wrinkled her nose. She froze when her eyes met
her superior's stern gaze.

"Agent Scully.  Is there a problem?"

Quickly improvising, Dana raised her hand to rub at the tip of her
nose.

"No, Sir.  Just allergies, Sir."

Nodding, he waited for her to walk past him.  Shutting the door behind
them, he gestured to the chair in front of his desk.

"Please, Agent Scully.  Have a seat."

Dana sat, warily watching as Skinner sat down opposite her.  Picking
up a pen, he scribbled something on a piece of paper, folded it in
half and slid it across the desk towards her.

"Agent Scully.  I just was discussing the X-files expense reports with
your partner."

Staring at the note, Dana debated whether to read it now or later.
Deciding on later, she palmed it and turned her attention to the issue
at hand.

"Because of the current budget impasse on the Hill, I've been asking
all departments to review their expenses to see where savings can be
made.  I expect you to assist Agent Mulder in his efforts."

Pausing for effect, he continued.

"I also expect you to be on time when your presence is requested in my
office.  Is that understood, Agent Scully?"

Dana felt herself stiffen in her chair.  Then forced herself to relax.

"Understood. Sir.  Will that be all?"

Skinner stared at her for a moment, his dark eyes unreadable behind
his glasses.  Dropping his head, his voice was rough as he said,
"That is all."

Dana slowly got to her feet and walked out the door, shutting it a
little harder than she meant to.

As she headed down the hallway towards the elevators she opened the
note, quickly scanning its contents.

     I've booked us for the weekend at a B&B.
     Directions below.  Happy Valentine's Day.

Dana couldn't help smiling.

*******************************************************
The Eastern Shore of Maryland
Friday, February 16, 1996
8:00 p.m.

Dana drove up to the old Victorian house overlooking the Chester
River, glancing at her directions to make sure she was in the right
place.  Satisfied, she got out of the car and carried her things up
the steps to the door.  She was just about to knock when she was
blinded by the glare of headlights as someone turned into the
driveway.

Her expression was amused as she watched Walter Skinner climb out of
the FBI issue Ford Taurus.

"Have you been behind me this whole time?"

Opening the car's trunk, Walter hefted a duffel bag out and then
walked over to her.  His face was serious as he stared down at the
petite redhead.

"Agent Scully, you of all people should know when you're being tailed.
What are they teaching at the Academy these days?"

Dana rolled her eyes.  "I must have missed that day in class.  Too
busy painting my toe nails."

Snorting derisively, Walter reached around her and opened the door.

"After you."

They were greeted in the house's hallway by the owner, a slender woman
in her late fifties.  She chattered away as she lead them upstairs to
their room, explaining that the house now consisted of eight guest
rooms, each distinctive in character.  They were to stay in what was
once the master bedroom.

Standing just inside the doorway, Dana quietly took in her
surroundings.  It was a lovely room, complete with a fireplace and its
own bath.  Pale green wallpaper, with an intricate flower and leaf
pattern along its borders, covered the walls.  The wood floor was
covered with a thick oriental rug.  Opposite the fireplace was a huge,
four poster bed, its bedspread made of a lush, green velvet.

"Walter, this is beautiful," she breathed.  Sitting down on the edge
of the bed, she ran her hand over the  soft fabric.

Smiling Walter sat down next to her.  Taking her hand in his, he
pressed a kiss into her palm.

"I'm glad you like it."

Shivering at his touch, she leaned against him, nuzzling his neck.

"Think we should get something to eat?"

"You know I'm *always* hungry."

He waggled his eyebrows for effect, tightening his hold on her.

Laughing, she pushed him away.  

"Walter.  You're impossible." 

Getting to his feet, he pulled her up with him.

"Why don't we change and go over to the Imperial Hotel's restaurant?"

Dana stood on tiptoe and brushed her lips against his.

"Mmmmm.  Do I have to get dressed up?"

"Probably a good idea," he murmured, running his hands up and down her
arms.  "Although, right now I can think of an even better one."

"Oh...And what would that be...Sir?"

Dana thought she'd said it in a teasing manner, but Walter abruptly
pulled away, holding her at arms length.

"Dana...You're not upset about last Wednesday, are you?"

Her blue eyes widening in surprise, she looked away.

"No.  Not really.  I mean, I know I was late.  And that we have to be
careful."

Pausing, she met his intense stare with one of her own.

"But, I don't want you to ever think I would take advantage of our
relationship.  That's not how I operate."

Walter's grip on her arms momentarily tightened, then relaxed.

"You're right.  I was a bit...harsh."

Dana nodded, accepting this as an apology.

"I'll go get ready."

Gathering her things, she headed towards the bathroom, then stopped
just outside.

"Is it okay if I use the bathroom first?"

"Go ahead.  I'll just change in here."

Suddenly feeling shy, Dana ducked inside, closing the door softly
behind her.

Hanging her suit bag on the hook behind the door, she carefully
unzipped it and removed the dress that she had bought on a whim, with
Walter in mind.

The halter style, short red dress was perfect, showing off her pale
shoulders and shapely legs.  It hugged her curves, without being
tight.  Which was good since she wanted to wear stockings tonight and
didn't want the garter belt to show.  

Rummaging in her bag, she pulled out the new shoes she had bought to
go with the dress.  They were very red and very high, with a closed in
pointed toe, and a t-strap which fastened snugly around each ankle.

Dressing quickly, she touched up her make-up, then debated whether to
wear her hair up or down.  After fussing with it for several minutes,
she finally decided on down.  A few dabs of perfume, a quick fluff,
and she was ready.

Opening the door to the bathroom, she came face to face with Walter,
his hand raised as if he were just about to knock.  He took a step
back in surprise and then stood, his dark eyes slowly running the
length of her body.

Dana felt herself flush under his appraising gaze.

"Do I meet with your approval?"

Walter's focus snapped back to her face.

"You look...stunning.  Are you sure you're hungry?"

Dana smiled slyly.

"Famished."

"Then let's go."

********************************************************
Imperial Hotel Dining Room
Later that same evening...

Although the restaurant was crowded, they were shown to a table in a
quiet corner of the room almost immediately upon their arrival.

Opening her menu, Dana surveyed the contents, debating whether to eat
light, or to indulge and have something a bit more substantial.

Glancing over at the man sitting across from her, she decided on
substantial, guessing that she would need the extra calories.

The food turned out to be excellent.  They both tried to keep the
conversation light, deliberately steering clear of agency related
business.

Finally, it was time for dessert.  Dana looked at the dessert cart,
pondering what to get.  The chocolate torte with pecans and caramel or
the chocolate, raspberry cheese cake?  

Deciding neither would do her figure any good, she was just about to
decline when Walter spoke up.

"The turtle torte *and* the cheesecake, please."

"Walter, I really shouldn't."

"Then you can watch me eat," he said, picking up his fork as the
desserts were placed in front of them.

Dana could feel the saliva gather in her mouth as she watched him take
the first bite of the cheesecake.

"Mmmmm.  This really is delicious.  You sure you don't want any?"

This was torture. Suddenly, a wicked smile twisted her lips.

Lifting her foot, she gently began to caress his leg with it, slowly
inching higher and higher...

The fork froze midway to Walter's mouth as she pressed the ball of her
stiletto heeled shoe into his groin.

Genuinely disconcerted, Walter flushed and shifted in his seat.

"Dana..."

His voice was a low growl, sending a chill down her spine.

"Quid pro quo, Walter," she purred, increasing the pressure against
his hardening member.

Abruptly, he set his fork down.

"I think we'd better leave."

"What's the hurry.  I thought you wanted dessert?" she teased.

If it were possible, his voice seemed to drop even lower.

"Unless you want me to ravage you right here, I suggest we leave.
NOW."

Dana, her face innocent, removed her foot, and sat with her hands
folded demurely in her lap while Walter paid the bill.

Flushing when he took her by the hand, she half expected him to drag
her from the restaurant.  However, he showed great restraint, setting
a dignified pace back to their room.

But the door had barely locked behind them when he pressed her tiny
frame against it, hungrily kissing her, flicking his tongue between
her teeth.  She responded in kind, moaning as his hand trailed down
her side, then back up, brushing against her breast.  Pausing to
circle her nipple with his thumb, he teased it into a sensitive knot
through the silky fabric of her dress.  His hand then slid down and
under the dress' hem, his fingers working between her thighs as he
showered kisses on her face, throat and shoulders.

He ground his hips against her when he felt her wetness soaking
through her panties onto his fingers.

Sliding her hand between them, she undid the zipper of his pants,
freeing his straining cock.

"Now Walter.  Take me now."

Stepping back, he reached under her dress and grasped the delicate
lace of her panties, ripping them like tissue paper and tossing them
aside.  Lifting her off the ground, he penetrated her, not stopping
until he'd filled her completely.

Dana wrapped her arms and legs around his powerful body, marveling at
the feel of this man under her hands, between her thighs, inside her.
She suppressed the urge to cry out as he thrust into her, over and
over again, his movements increasingly frenetic.

She came quickly, the muscles of her vagina clenching and releasing,
triggering his own orgasm.

His hips jerked against her as the last spasm racked his body.
Leaning his forehead against hers, he withdrew, then let her body
slowly slide down his until her feet touched the floor.  They were
both surprised when she continued her slide, ending up in a puddle at
his feet, her arm pulled taut above her head as she continued to hold
onto his hand.

Chuckling, Walter joined her, cradling her in his lap.

They quietly sat there on the floor for a while, occasionally
touching, but mostly just relaxing in each other's arms.

Cupping his face in her hands, Dana kissed him and then slowly got to
her feet.

"Come to bed?"  She said, tugging on his hand.

He heaved himself to his feet, wincing slightly when his knees popped.

"I think I'm getting too old for this."

"Ha! You're in better shape than I am."

She was delighted when he actually blushed.

Leading him to the bed, she sat down, staring up at him with smoky
blue eyes.

"Let me undress you?"  Her hand strayed to the buttons of his shirt.

He flushed an even deeper shade of pink, kneeling down in front of her
to give her better access.

"Do I look like I'm going to argue?"

Giving him one of her rare, sweet smiles, Dana pushed his suit jacket
off his shoulders.  Loosening his tie, she ran her hands over his
shoulders and arms, feeling the warmth of heated flesh underneath.
She shuddered as he shifted at her touch, smooth skin sliding over
muscle and bone.

His breathing became increasingly ragged as she slowly undid the
buttons of his shirt.  He jumped when she stroked her hands over his
chest, tangling in the hair there, scratching  his nipples with her
closely cropped nails.

Dana felt a wave of heat roll over her, her eyes darkening in answer
to the desire she read on his face.

But when he tried to reach for her, she caught his hands in hers,
shaking her head.

"No..."

Locking eyes with him, she brought his hand to her lips, gently
kissing the broad palm, slowly taking first one, then two fingers into
her mouth, sucking lightly.

His eyes slid shut as he desperately tried to maintain some semblance
of control.  But it was becoming increasingly difficult...

Dana released his hand and stood, drawing him up with her.  Then she
kneeled in front of him.  Lifting first one foot then the other, she
removed his shoes and socks, adding them to the growing pile of
clothes on the floor.  Tugging at his pants, she slid them down and
off, along with his underwear.  His erection was huge, the tip
glistening with pre-come.

Sighing, she cupped the heavy balls in her hand, rolling them in their
sack.

A low growl escaped his lips as she ran her tongue along the underside
of his shaft, circling the sensitive head before taking as much as she
could of him into her mouth.

His hips jerked as she began to suckle him, one hand stroking the base
of his penis as the other gripped his ass.  He needed to grab onto
something, and settled for threading his fingers through her hair,
resisting the urge to thrust deeper into her mouth.

Dana relaxed her throat, concentrating on making him come harder than
he'd ever come before.  Running her finger along the cleft between his
cheeks, she carefully worked it into the tight hole there, lightly
massaging his prostate gland.

With a howl, he came, pouring his hot seed into her mouth.

Dana swallowed all of it, removing her mouth as he weakly stood, his
hands resting heavily on her shoulders.

"That was...amazing," he panted.

Looking like the cat that ate the canary, Dana gave him a wide, toothy
grin.  Standing up, she pressed her mouth to his, parting his lips
with her tongue. 

Walter enfolded her in his arms, stroking her tongue with his own,
tasting himself on her lips, in her mouth.

Holding her hand, he drew away, his mouth curving up into a boyish
smile, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Your turn."

Dana's elegant eyebrows arched upwards, her eyes round.

Bending to kiss her, Walter reached behind her and undid the zipper of
her dress.  Unhooking the halter, he stepped back, letting the smooth
fabric slip to the ground on its own.  Once she was wearing only the
stockings, garter belt and heels, he knelt in front of her.  Running
his hands over her silk clad legs, he considered the pros and cons of
leaving them and the "fuck me" heels on, or taking them off.

He chose the former.

Wrapping his arm around her knees, he pulled slightly, forcing her
into a sitting position on the bed.  Draping one leg over his
shoulder, he leaned forward, pressing a kiss against the soft, moist
folds between her legs.

Dana sobbed aloud when he thrust his tongue inside her, fingers
stroking the sensitive skin of her inner thighs.

Her back arching, she curled her hips forward, pressing  herself
helplessly against his mouth.  She jerked when he moved his hands to
cup her ass, and then she cried out, as the first orgasm ripped
through her.

Another had just begun to build when Walter pulled away.  Dana
whimpered as he pushed her onto her back.

"Oh god, yes..."

He was hard again.  Thrusting his swollen member inside of her, he
began to pump in and out, driving her towards another orgasm.

And another...

Raking her nails across his back and shoulders, her legs wrapped
tightly around his bucking hips, she screamed, stars shooting behind
her eyelids.

Her cry echoing in his ears, Walter came, hard, suspended above her.

Dana slowly came back to herself and her surroundings as Walter
collapsed on top of her, their bodies wetly sticking together.  When
he tried to roll off of her, she clutched at him.

"No...don't."

Smiling, he lifted himself onto his elbows, gently stroking her hair.

"I don't want to suffocate you."

"Mmmmm.  Not a chance."

He rested his head in the curve between her neck and shoulder as Dana,
utterly content, traced lazy circles between his shoulder blades.

Finally, as the chill in the room became too much, he withdrew,
rolling onto his back and bringing her with him.  Reaching underneath
them, he pulled the bedspread and sheets up over them both.

Sprawling bonelessly across his broad chest, Dana drifted off to sleep
as the words "I love you," were breathed softly into her ear.



East Shore of Maryland
Saturday, February 17, 1996

Dana Scully woke to the sound of the shower running in the next room.
Squinting at her watch, she saw that it was a little before 10:00 a.m.


Feeling a bit guilty for sleeping so late, she threw back the covers
and gingerly stood up, stretching in an attempt to loosen tired,
aching muscles.  A silly grin suddenly spread across her face.  As
usual, a night with Walter had left her simultaneously very tired
*and* very satisfied.

There was no doubt in Dana's mind she'd had some of the best times of
her life since becoming involved with Walter Skinner.  He was
everything a woman could want in a lover and so much more.  He was
intelligent, funny, loyal to a fault and strong, both physically and
emotionally.  All things Dana valued in a man.  And lately Dana was
often surprised by the depth of her feeling for him.  Although she
still wasn't sure exactly what it was she *was* feeling, she did know
that it was more than lust.  And she sensed that Walter felt the same.

At that thought, a memory tugged at the corner of her mind.  Something
that was said last night, just before she drifted off to sleep.
Frowning in concentration, Dana tried to grab a hold of it, only to
have it slip away.

Noticing the water had stopped, she pulled on Walter's shirt from the
evening before, stopping to drink in his lingering scent.  Then,
collecting her things, she sat down on the bed to wait for him to come
out.

Walter emerged from the bathroom, still damp from his shower, a towel
wrapped around his waist.  He stopped when he saw Dana sitting on the
bed, watching him with wide blue eyes.

"Good morning."

She could feel herself blushing as he stared at her appreciatively--at
the tousled auburn hair curling softly around her pale oval face, at
the lips still swollen from his kisses the night before, at the soft
breasts peaking out from his shirt.

Choosing to ignore the less than pure thoughts running through his
mind, Walter walked over to his bag and began pawing through it's
contents for something to wear.  Settling on a pair of faded Levi's
and a long sleeved henley shirt, he dropped the towel and bent to pull
on a pair of underwear.

Suddenly he froze, as hands began to caress his back, chest and
thighs, lips trailing fire down his spine.  Shuddering, Walter turned
around, coming face to face with Dana.

She leaned back slightly so she could look up into his face.

"Good morning," she said smiling.

Walter reached out a finger to gently trace the line of her jaw,
feeling a wave of heat wash over him as she shivered at his touch.

"So...I guess this means breakfast is out, huh?"

Using his shoulders to lever herself up, she kissed him, nibbling at
his lower lip.

"Later."

Dana took him by the hand and lead him over to the bed.  Climbing into
it, she shrugged out of his shirt and then lay back against the
pillows, one hand lazily running the length of her torso, coming to
rest at her mons.

"Come here."

Her voice was low, almost a purr.  

Not needing further encouragement, Walter lay down beside her,
covering her hand with his.

"Let me do that..."

With a sigh, Dana let her hand fall to her side as he gently caressed
her belly, moving up to cup her breast.  She moaned as he began to
gently knead the tender flesh.

Bending his head, he took her nipple into his mouth, lazily swirling
his tongue around its hardening tip.  Dana writhed underneath him as
his hand slipped down between her thighs, gently stroking the
sensitive skin there with his fingertips before sliding first one,
then two fingers, between the moist folds.

She was very wet and very ready for him.

Removing his fingers, Walter rolled over, settling her on top of him.
Dana wrapped her hand around his cock.  She was still amazed by the
size of him, her fingers barely meeting around its girth.

Dana curled forward and slowly guided him inside her, both of them
moaning as he stretched and filled her completely.  

Her eyes slid shut as she braced herself against his broad chest.
Slowly she began to rotate her hips, lifting ever so slightly before
sinking back down onto him.  Walter lightly rested his hands on her
hips, letting her set the pace, watching the slow flush creep across
her chest, throat and face.

Lifting his head, he captured her right nipple in his mouth, tugging
at it with his lips. Dana whimpered, arching her back to give him
better access.  Working her hand between their tightly pressed bodies,
she began to rub her own clitoris, the added stimulation sending her
right over the edge.

Crying out, Dana bucked against him as her vagina spasmed around his
cock, sending wave after wave of indescribable pleasure coursing
through her body.

She had barely finished her own orgasm when Walter flipped her
underneath him.  Drawing all the way out, he plunged back into her,
again and again, until he came, his cock twitching inside of her.

They lay tangled together, their limbs heavy with spent desire.

Dana was just drifting off to sleep again, when her stomach emitted a
loud gurgling noise.

"Jesus, Day, was that you?"

Walter looked at his delicate companion in mock horror.

Dana turned a charming shade of pink and sighed.

"The beast is hungry again." 

"Oh, and which beast would that be?"  Walter's eyes twinkled
mischievously as he stared down at her.

Dana groaned aloud.

"Walter, I won't be able to walk on Monday if we keep this up.
They'll have to wheel me down to the basement office."

"We?  Who was the one who just lured me back to bed?

"Well if you hadn't walked out in just a damn towel," Dana muttered.

"Oh, I see.  So now I was asking for it..."

Dana opened her mouth as if to say something, when her stomach
answered for her.

"Grrrr."

Both of them burst out laughing.

Wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes, Walter got out of bed,
dragging Dana up with him.  

"Well, I think we better do something about the *beast*.  Go take your
shower."

Straightening her shoulders, Dana threw him a mock salute.

"Aye, Sir."

Walter couldn't help but shake his head as she darted for the
bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

"And she says *I'm* impossible."

**********************************************************

They spent a pleasant, relaxing day in each other's company, going for
a long walk along the Chester River after brunch.  The quaint little
town was filled with fine, old river front homes.  Dana was surprised
by Walter's knowledge of the area's history and architecture.  As she
listened to the low, gravelly voice beside her, she suddenly realized
just how little she really knew about him.  She knew he was divorced
and had three young children, who he adored.  That he came from a
military family and had joined the Marines, going to Viet Nam at the
tender age of 18.

Dana shivered when she thought of the man/child he must have been
then, and what it had been like to be thrust into the middle of that
living hell.  That he had survived with his body and mind intact spoke
volumes about the strength of his will and determination.

So many others hadn't been that lucky.

Feeling her shiver beside him, Walter tightened his arm around her
waist.

"Cold?"

"A little," Dana lied.

"Why don't we head back to the B&B, get something warm into you."

Dana smiled at the protectiveness she heard in his voice.

"Sounds like a plan."

Holding hands the two strolled back to their room.

********************************************************

Walter had just finished building a fire when Dana came in, two cups,
a pot of steaming hot coffee, and a bottle of Irish Whiskey balanced
precariously on a tray.  Kicking the door closed with her foot, she
set the tray down on a table, pouring each of them a cup.  Uncapping
the whiskey, she poured a generous amount in each, adding cream and
sugar for good measure.

When she looked up, she found Walter staring intently at her.

"What?"

"Nothing...Just admiring the view..."

Smiling indulgently, Dana handed him a cup. Taking a sip from her own,
she sat down in the chair nearest the fireplace, drawing her legs up
underneath her.

Walter sat down on the floor, leaning his back against the edge of her
chair and stretching his long legs out in front of him.  Savoring the
burn of the whiskey flavored coffee as it slid down his throat, he
stared at the dancing flames, deep in his own thoughts.

Dana gently trailed her fingers along the back of his neck.

"What are you thinking?"

Leaning his head back against her knees so he could look up into her
face, a slight frown creased his brow.

"Just wondering."

"About..."

"This.  Us."

Dana, who'd been tracing his full lower lip with her finger during
this exchange, jerked as a bolt of anxiety rushed through her. Her
lips and mouth suddenly went dry.

"Us?" she croaked.

Scowling at her reaction, Walter pinned her with his gaze.
Setting his coffee cup on the ground beside him, he turned around so
that he was kneeling in front of her.  Taking her cup out of her hand,
he set it aside, and took her hands in his.

"Yeah, Day.  Us."

Dana drew in a sharp breath as the memory of what he'd said the night
before finally broke through into her consciousness.

"Oh my God...Walter...You're not...You're not in love with me?  You
can't be in love with me..."

She pulled one of her hands free from his, clapping it over her mouth
to stop the flow of words when she saw the look of pain in his eyes.

After a moment, he drew her hand away from her mouth, gently caressing
the back of it with his thumb as he asked, softly...

"Why not?  Why is it so hard to believe that I could be in love with
you?" 

Dana stared down at their hands, entwined in her lap.  She could feel
tears, gathering at the corners of her eyes, as she considered his
question.

It wasn't that she couldn't believe it, she just wasn't sure she
wanted to believe it.  Love would complicate things between them.  Not
necessarily in a bad way, just in a way she hadn't prepared herself
for.

Forcing herself to meet his eyes, she was shocked and moved by the
intense emotion she saw in them.

With a sob, she threw her arms around him, burying her face in his
shoulder.

Walter silently held her as she cried, waiting patiently for the storm
to pass.

Once she regained her composure, Dana sat back, wiping ineffectually
at her eyes and nose with her hands.

"Oh, Walter.  It's not that I can't believe.  I just don't know what I
feel about you...about us.  I don't even think I've given much thought
to an "us."

At her words, Walter slowly relinquished his grip on her hands and
stood, turning away from her.

Dana sat staring at his back for a while, thoughtfully chewing on her
bottom lip.  Finally, she quietly asked, "What about work, Walter?
What about *Them*?"

Walter spun around to face her, his face twisted with anger, his fists
clenched at his sides.

"What about *Them*?  What could they possibly do that they haven't
done already to you or threatened to do to me?"  

Dana shrank away from the shear force of his anger, pressing her back
into the chair.  

Mistaking her reaction for fear, Walter took a deep breath, his hands
going slack at his sides, his face settling into its usual impassive
mask.  His voice was softer as he continued.

"No matter what we decide Day, the risks aren't going to go away."

Uncurling from the chair, Dana stood up.  Taking his face between her
hands she gently tugged, trying to draw him down to her level.
Resting her forehead against his, she whispered, "I know."

The tension drained from his body as he leaned against her, hands
resting on her hips.  His voice was rough as he said,

"I'm a patient man, Day.  Even if you think there's a possibility, any
possibility, I'm willing to wait. To take the risk."

Dana tightened her arms around him, tears falling once again.

"I don't want to hurt you.  What if I can't give you what you want?"

Walter bent his knees slightly so he could better see her face.

"I'm a big boy, Day.  I can take care of myself.  

"Besides, how do you know you haven't already given me what I want."

That brought a wry smile to her face.

"I knew it.  You just love me for my body."

Walter tenderly pressed his lips to hers, deepening the kiss as she
slid her hands around his neck.  Coming up for air, he ran his hands
over her back, drawing her more tightly against him.

"Mmmmm.  It's a nice little body."

They could both feel the tension from the earlier, unsettling emotions
begin to evaporate, replaced by a different, more familiar tension.

Bending his head, Walter nuzzled her throat, his hand dropping to
cradle her breast through the fabric of her sweater.  Dana gasped as
his fingers toyed with the nipple, teasing it into a taut, sensitive
peak.  Purring softly, she pressed herself against him, rubbing her
lower body against the bulge forming in his pants.

With a chuckle, Walter stepped back and picked her up, carrying her
over to the bed.

He quickly divested her of her clothing, running strong hands over her
breasts, belly and thighs.  Dana was moaning almost continuously now
as he trailed a line of wet kisses down her body, his tongue flicking
in and out, savoring the taste of her skin on his lips.  Finally, he
reached the cleft between her thighs.  Smiling, he took in her scent,
musky and sweet, before pressing his lips against her.

Making inarticulate noises, Dana grasped him by the ears, pressing him
even more firmly against her, seeking maximum contact as he
alternately nibbled and suckled at her clitoris.  She came quickly,
her whole body helplessly convulsing, crying out his name over and
over.

Moving up to lay beside her, Walter took her trembling body into his
arms, curling his large frame spoon-fashion around her.

Dana let out a contented sigh as he brushed the hair away from her
neck with his nose, his lips caressing the tender spot behind her ear.
Pressing her bottom against him, she could feel his erection through
the rough fabric of his jeans.

Turning in his arms to face him, she ran sensitive fingers along his
jaw, stroking them across his throat and then down along his side.
Pulling his shirt free of his jeans, she slid it off of him, then
explored the smooth skin and powerful muscles of his back and
shoulders with her hands.

Walter's breathing became ragged as she kissed him deeply, her tongue
filling his mouth, then retreating as he tried to capture it with his
own.  As if of one mind, both of them reached for the buttons on his
jeans. His large hand covered hers as she deftly worked each button
free.  Pushing and pulling at his pants and underwear they managed to
work them down and off, freeing his straining erection.  

Walter jerked when Dana's hand closed around him, stroking, then
squeezing him. Feeling the familiar tension building in his balls,
Walter seized her by the wrist, stopping her hand's movements.

"Roll over."

Dana's blue eyes widened at the need she heard in his voice.
Unable to suppress a grin, she rolled onto her side, pressing her ass
invitingly against his groin.

With a moan, Walter wrapped his arm around her hips, pulling her more
firmly against him as he eased his aching cock inside of her.  Burying
his face in her auburn curls, he began to move, each thrust of his
cock sending a tiny shock of pleasure through Dana's body.  The
pressure of his arm across her mons only served to intensify the ache
in her womb, which began to grow and spread, hot tendrils of desire
licking at every nerve ending.

Sensing she was again close, Walter dropped his arm lower, his hand
finding her clitoris and pressing it roughly between his thumb and
forefinger. 

Dana cried out like a wounded animal as she came, thrashing against
him as wave after wave of pleasure mixed with pain rolled through her.

His own orgasm wasn't far behind.  With a cry, Walter exploded in
ecstasy, his body jerking as he poured his come into her, his
throbbing cock buried deep inside.

Walter gripped Dana tightly against him until the last shudder
subsided.  Loosening his less than gentle hold on her, he carefully
withdrew.  Even so, Dana made a soft hissing noise.  Rolling onto her
back, she stared up at him, her eyes damp with unshed tears.

Worried, Walter gently touched her cheek.

"What is it, love?  Did I hurt you?"

Smoothing her hair away from her face, Dana shook her head.

"No...I'm just feeling a bit...tired."

Her voice trailed off as she realized how lame that sounded.  Seeing
the unconvinced look on Walter's face, she took a deep, steadying
breath, smiling reassuringly.

"I'm okay, Walt.  Really."

Frowning slightly, he leaned forward, brushing his lips against her
forehead.

"Okay, Day."  

He wanted to say more, but thought better of it.  He knew how
impossibly stubborn she could be, especially where her feelings were
concerned.  She would tell him when she was ready.

Stifling a gigantic yawn, Walter flopped unto his back as a wave of
drowsiness washed over him.

"Speaking of tired.  They're going to have to wheel *me* into the
office Monday morning if we keep this up."

Dana couldn't help but grin.  Nestling against his side, she rested
her head on his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heart, to
his breathing as it slowed and deepened as sleep took him.

Propping herself up on one elbow, she stared down at her lover, noting
how relaxed and impossibly young he looked in the diffuse afternoon
light.  Shivering, she snuggled against him once more, tugging the
covers up over them in an effort to keep out the cold.

Walter shifted slightly as her warm, moist breath tickled his ear, her
lips whispering to him in his sleep.

"I love you, too, Walt."


THE END.



WARNING:  Alternate Universe Alert!

Hi all.  More than one person has grumbled about the plot holes the
size of Winnebagos in *Avatar,* as well as Scully's apparent lack of
belief in Skinner's innocence.  So I thought I'd write a story that
attempts to account for some (not all) of this, by putting *Avatar* in
the context of an affair Skinner and Scully were carrying on at the
time.  I'm considering this piece as part of my "For Just One Night"
story series, because it assumes a passionate and loving relationship
between the two of them.  But I guess you can also consider it a
stand-alone story, if you'd like.

In any case, this story has absolutely no sex, just lots of Skinner
and Scully angst, and maybe a little romance too.

DISCLAIMER:  The X-files' universe, and all characters therein, are
the property of CC and Co, 10-13 Productions and Fox TN.  I'm just
borrowing them, without permission.  No copyright infringement
intended.

*******************************************************
For Just One Night IV
by LittleJo

Walter was married...had been married for 17 years...only separated
for the past eight months...and Dana hadn't known.

FBI Headquarters
Washington, D.C.
Friday, June 28, 1996
9:00 p.m.

Dana Scully carefully placed the files she had been using in a neat
stack on her desk and prepared to leave for the day.  It was late, and
Mulder had left hours ago.  But Dana had insisted on staying behind
and finishing up some reports that were due on Monday.

Dana had taken to staying behind a lot lately.

It had been almost four months since Walter had been reinstated in his
position as Assistant Director, after the resolution of a bizarre case
involving the death of a prostitute named Corinna Sayles.  While Dana
had been stunned when she found out that Skinner had picked up a woman
in a bar and then taken her to bed, she had been even more stunned by
the revelation that there was a Mrs. Walter S. Skinner.

*Sharon, Dana.  Her name is Sharon.*

/At least they were practicing safe sex./

/She was a prostitute./

How she'd wanted to scream at Mulder, or throw something, when he'd
said these things to her in the morgue where she had been carefully
re-examining the prostitute's body for anything that might clear their
boss--and Dana's lover--of the murder.  Instead, Dana had tried to
remain cool and detached, only a soft exhalation of breath indicating
how deeply the information that Corinna Sayles was a prostitute had
affected her.

*Why,* she'd thought, *why a prostitute?  Why didn't he come to me?*

*Probably for the same reason he couldn't tell you that he had a wife,
Dana,* a bitter voice inside her answered.  *He didn't feel he could
confide in you--that he could trust you.*

What else hadn't he told her?

Abruptly getting to her feet, she gathered her things together and
walked out the office door.  As she rummaged in her bag for keys so
she could lock up, a shadow fell across her.  Dana froze, every fiber
of her being tensing.

Damn--she knew that cologne.

Deciding to ignore him for the moment, Dana finished locking up and
then slowly turned to find Walter standing behind her.  

"Excuse me, but you're standing in my way," she said, her eyes looking
past him to focus on a dirty, yellow stain on the wall opposite them.


Walter's response was to step closer.  "You haven't been returning my
calls, Dana."

At the barely concealed anger in his voice, Dana's eyes slid from the
wall to his face, coming to rest on his dark eyes.  The voice
communicated anger, but his eyes showed something else...

Was it hurt she saw there?

Dana felt a wave of emotional pain wash over her that was so intense
she thought for a moment it would crush her beneath it's weight.  It
was a pain she'd experienced frequently over the course of the last
few months--it often struck out of the blue, and for no apparent
reason.  But then the pain was gone, leaving anger in its wake.

*How dare he be hurt.  How dare he.*

Her face a stony mask, she repeated her request.  "I'd like to leave
now, and you're standing in my way. Please move aside."

She watched as the pain in Walter's eyes flickered and then died,
replaced with the same cold stare she knew her own eyes held.  

"All right, Agent Scully.  Have it your way."  Turning his back on
her, he quickly walked away, his retreating form swallowed up by the
dimly lit hallway.

As she listened to his fading footsteps, Dana slumped against the
door, fighting the tears that threatened to overflow.  

Four months ago, there had been a part of her that had wanted nothing
more than to forgive him; to forgive the lies and the subterfuge.  But
she couldn't--not now.  Because she knew that as betrayed as she felt,
he felt even more betrayed.  She was the one who had wondered aloud to
Mulder why Skinner didn't submit to a polygraph test, why he wasn't
trying harder to prove his own innocence.  And at some point in the
investigation, Mulder must have passed on her skepticism, her doubts,
to Walter--shattering what trust she and Walter did have between them.
Walter's sense of betrayal had been all too apparent in the look the
two of them had exchanged while she stood by the door waiting as
Mulder asked Skinner how he'd known to be at the Ambassador Hotel Bar
when he did.  Walter's unwillingness to answer Mulder's question in
her presence had only underscored that fact and had hurt almost more
than finding out about Corinna and Sharon.

Since then, she had gone over in her mind again and again why she had
been so willing, at first, to accept the evidence manufactured by the
X-Files' enemies as the truth.   Had she fallen back on her strict
adherence to scientific objectivity because she genuinely believed
that to do less would undermine the investigation into what had really
happened; or, had her hurt over the prostitute and Sharon blinded her
to other explanations; or, had it been some combination of both?

Dana had known about Walter's nightmares; had on more than one
occasion comforted him when he'd awakened in a panic from one.  But at
the time she had accepted his explanation for them; that they were
night terrors brought on by his experiences in Viet Nam.  However, her
concerns had mounted as the frequency of the dreams increased and his
ability to remember what happened once she awakened him decreased.
Knowing Walter as she did, Dana had hinted that perhaps he might want
to seek help, but Walter had steadfastly ignored her carefully placed
suggestions, instead preferring to deal with the problem in his own
way, on his own.

Although Walter had never hurt her when in the grip of one of these
nightmares, there had been times when it appeared that he might--as he
had hung between sleep and waking--unaware of his surroundings, or who
he was with.  And then the incident with Corinna happened.  The trauma
to the woman's body had been extreme--her spine crushed--and the only
prints on her body had been Walter's.  

Dreading what she might find out, but at the same time needing to
know, Dana had called sleep disorder clinics in the Washington, D.C.
area to ask whether a Walter S. Skinner had sought treatment.  As a
result, she'd discovered yet another secret: that Walter had been a
patient for three months at the Bethesda Sleep Disorders' Center, and
that he was suffering from a recurrent dream in which an imaginary old
woman sometimes straddled his chest, suffocating him as he lay
sleeping.

Out of desperation, Dana had offered his sleep disorder as a possible
explanation for the prostitute's death.  At least then Walter couldn't
be held responsible--he had killed the prostitute because he had
genuinely thought he was in danger from this imaginary old woman.
Self-defense, right?

In any case, she was never allowed to explain, to justify her actions
to him--or even to apologize.  He had gone back to Sharon, ostensibly
to repair the damage to their marriage; although, rumor had it that
within weeks they had again separated, this time for good.

Her head aching from the effort it took not to cry, Dana slowly made
her way to the elevator and out into the warm June night.

**********************************************************
11:21 p.m.

Walter sat in his townhouse apartment, sipping a scotch, and trying
not to think about what had transpired between him and Dana in the
hallway outside the X-Files' Division.  He shouldn't have lain in wait
for her like that, but he had been trying unsuccessfully to get in
touch with her by phone for weeks, and had only done it as a last
resort.  Calling her into his office alone to talk was out of the
question--Walter suspected that his office was bugged and didn't want
to risk disclosing the nature of their relationship to his growing
list of enemies.

*Past relationship, Walter.  Past.*

Glancing around the living room at the boxes that he still hadn't
unpacked after two and a half months, he had to wonder at his own
blindness.  In an effort to always appear strong and in control, he
had hidden his fears and his weaknesses, not only from others, but
from himself as well.  And as a result, he had fallen prey to the
secret forces within the government who had wanted him eliminated from
the game, not by killing him this time, but by capitalizing on his
fears and his own pig-headedness, thus setting him on a path to
self-destruction.

Walter knew that what he had done was self-destructive, from the
moment he had gone to bed with that woman in the bar, to his
unwillingness to involve Mulder and Dana in what he saw as his problem
alone.  And Sharon had been right--he had been scared--scared that he
had killed that woman in his sleep, scared that Dana would find out
about Sharon, scared that he was losing his grip on reality.  

Leaning forward, Walter started to pour himself another drink, then
set the bottle of scotch back down.  He'd already had too much.  In
fact, he'd been drinking a lot lately.  It had started with one or two
drinks at night, before bedtime, in an effort to keep the nightmares
at bay.  But even after the dreams had stopped, and he had been
cleared of the charges against him, he had continued to drink.
However, now he drank because he needed to numb himself to the ache he
felt over the loss of his wife, of Dana, of his sense of himself.

After all that had happened, Walter had needed to give his marriage to
Sharon one last chance.  He couldn't accept that it was over until
he'd made a Herculean effort to repair the damage done to their
relationship; damage for which he felt largely responsible.  But his
return to Sharon had been short-lived, because, once again, Walter was
deluding himself.  Going back to Sharon was as much a function of what
he had perceived as Dana's betrayal of him as it was of any sense of
duty he had felt to his wife or their marriage.

However, since then, Walter had come to a different set of conclusions
about Dana.  It was true that, initially at least, Walter had felt
that Mulder had done more to exonerate him of the crime than she had.
More importantly, Mulder had never doubted his innocence, even when
Walter himself had doubted it.  But Walter hadn't allowed himself to
consider that Dana might have been so hurt when she found out he'd
lied to her, that she couldn't look beyond the evidence in front of
her to see the larger picture.  So, Walter had allowed his sense of
betrayal and disappointment to come through loud and clear as his and
Dana's eyes briefly met while she stood by the door in his office,
waiting for her partner.  His refusal to discuss how he'd known to be
at the hotel with Mulder in front of her had only underlined what he'd
felt at the time--a need to hurt her as much as she had hurt him.  

Soon after that, he and Mulder had met outside of FBI Headquarters to
talk more about Walter's experiences. During one of these meetings,
Mulder had tried to bring up the topic of Dana, but had been met with
a pronounced lack of interest from Skinner in discussing the matter.

/Agent Scully was just doing her job to the best of her abilities,
sir, given the evidence we initially had to work with./

/I'm aware of that fact, Agent Mulder...Waitress, would you please
bring the check?/

Walter winced when he remembered the look of surprise on Mulder's
face.  While Walter doubted that Mulder had known about his
relationship with Dana, Walter's reaction on that particular occasion,
taken with his violent outburst in the second district police
station's interrogation room when he'd first learned of Scully's
doubts, probably had tipped Mulder off that something more was going
on than just a professional relationship between his boss and partner.

During the six weeks he'd tried to work things out with Sharon, he had
studiously avoided running into Dana alone, thus heading off any
confrontation between them about what had happened.  He had gone to
her apartment while she and Mulder had been out of town on a case to
drop off some things she'd left at his place and to pack up the few
personal items he'd left at hers.  He had told himself that he had to
make a clean break of things if he was serious about saving his
marriage.  But if he'd been serious about saving his marriage, why had
he initiated an affair with Dana in the first place?  Although there
had been a strong physical attraction between them, he had also
respected her for the very things that had made him feel betrayed in
the end--her strength of purpose, her candor, her keen mind and her
objectivity.  But he also knew that he had fallen in love with her,
not because of these things, but because of the other side he had
seen--her vulnerability and compassion, her warmth and sense of humor,
and the strong emotions she hid so well from others, but had revealed
to him. And he had paid her back by not allowing any of his own
vulnerabilities to show.  He had omitted the fact that he had a wife
and had balked at telling her about his own experiences with the
unexplainable, including his growing belief that the old woman in his
dreams had saved his life in Viet Nam.   

Could he honestly have expected her to believe in him, in his
innocence, when he had hidden so much from her, had erected a wall of
lies and half-truths so high, that even he couldn't tell any more what
was real and what wasn't?

*So, Walter, you left Dana, the woman you love, and whose trust you
betrayed, to return to the wife you don't love, because you felt
betrayed and angry that she didn't trust you?*

Walter winced as a sharp stabbing pain shot through his left temple.  

"To hell with this," he mumbled, as he reached for the bottle and
poured himself another drink.

Two hours later, Walter stood outside the outer door of the old
brownstone Dana lived in, swaying slightly.  After finishing off the
bottle of scotch, he'd decided he needed to talk to her--right now.
Although a part of his mind knew that this was an asinine idea, given
how drunk he was, another part of his mind was functional enough to
dial the number of a local cab company.  So, there he stood, trying to
get up the courage to actually press the buzzer and ask--no beg--to be
let in.

Stabbing a finger at what he hoped was the right doorbell, he waited
impatiently for Dana's voice to come over the intercom.

"Who is it?"

Hesitating for only a moment, Walter said, "It's me, Dana.  Please let
me in."

Walter assumed that the intervening pause was so Dana could figure out
exactly who "me" was.  He was wrong.

"Go away Walter.  I don't want to talk to you--especially when you're
drunk."

Unable to help himself, Walter's voice began to rise in volume as all
the frustration he'd been feeling over the past several weeks came to
the fore.

"I'm not going anywhere.  We've avoided talking for long enough, Dana,
so--please--open the damn door.  

When he didn't get a response, he added for effect, "I'll stay here
all night if I have to."

To show that he would make good on his promise, he lowered himself to
the ground so that he was now sitting on the top step, his back to the
door.

During this exchange, Dana had cracked open the door to her apartment
so she could see Walter as he sat with his head in his hands on the
apartment's front stoop.  She knew how stubborn Walter could be, so if
he said he was prepared to stay all night, then he would stay all
night.  She also knew that if she didn't let him in, one of her
neighbors would probably call the police.  And as hurt and angry as
she still was, she didn't want that--Walter had seen the inside of
enough police stations in recent months to last him a lifetime.  So
with a sigh, Dana opened the outer door.

"Okay Walter, you can come in--but only for a few minutes--got it?"

At her grudging invitation, Walter climbed heavily to his feet and
brushed past her into her apartment.  Feeling a bit unsteady, he
plopped down into the chair facing the couch, his long limbs sprawled
loosely about him.

Dana gingerly sat down on the edge of the sofa and contemplated the
man sitting across from her.  Although he was still toned, he'd
clearly lost a lot of weight recently.  His face was haggard--there
were dark circles under his eyes, and what looked like permanent frown
lines between his eyebrows and at the corners of his mouth.  She'd
heard through the office grapevine that he'd been a real bastard to
work for recently, although she and Mulder were always treated with
the greatest respect when they found themselves called into the A.D.'s
office.

Unable to help herself, Dana leaned forward, and rested a small hand
on his knee.  "You look like hell, Walter."

With great effort, Walter lifted his head from where he had been
resting it on the back of the chair, and stared at her through bleary
eyes.

"You don't look so hot yourself, Dana."

Flushing angrily, Dana drew back from him, removing her hand.

"Maybe I've lost a little weight, but..."

"You've lost too much weight.  If you lose any more you'll disappear.
Poof!"

Dana suppressed the sudden urge to laugh, knowing full well that if
she did start she probably wouldn't be able to stop.
So instead, she carefully folded her hands in her lap and said, "Okay,
Walter, you said you wanted to talk to me--so talk."

Walter, who'd managed to straighten up somewhat in the chair, frowned.

"You're not making this easy, Dana."

Dana dismissed his comment with a wave of her hand.  "I don't think
this is supposed to be easy, Walter."

"True," he mumbled.  Then Walter took a deep breath, held up the index
finger of his right hand and began the carefully prepared speech he'd
rehearsed repeatedly during the cab ride to Dana's.

"First, let me say that I'm sorry for lying to you.  I should never
have tried to hide the fact that I had a wife from you--even if we
were separated at the time.

"Second," he said as another finger popped up, "please believe me when
I say that I never, ever meant to hurt you.

"Third," this time he held up one more finger than necessary, "I know
I acted as if I were the one who was betrayed.  But--and I've had a
lot of time to think about it--it was me who betrayed you.  I betrayed
*your* trust.  And I had no right to expect more from you than I
myself was willing to give.

"Fourth," Walter stopped, scowling when he realized he'd run out of
fingers.  "Um, fourth...and this is really important, so listen
carefully.  I've missed you, Day.  I love you--I love you and I need
you and I want you back in my life."

As Walter talked, Dana sat perfectly still, conflicting emotions at
war inside her.  

Dana knew that the anger she felt had ceased to be useful long ago.
At first, when she'd realized that it was over between her and Walter,
she had been too numb to feel much of anything.  But then the grief
and the pain had come.  The anger, at him and at herself, had helped
to mask that pain--it had allowed Dana to keep doing her job, to keep
functioning in the world.

But with Walter sitting in front of her, and his words lingering in
her ears, Dana felt some of that anger dissolve, revealing the pain
she felt underneath.  

*He's sorry...loves you...needs you...He wants you back.*

But could she accept what he was saying to her now as the truth when
he'd hid so much from her?

Leaning forward, Dana carefully asked, "What about Sharon, Walter?"

Walter shook his head.  "Over, Dana.  I signed the divorce papers last
week."

Dana suddenly felt the tears she'd been trying so hard to keep inside
begin to fall.

"What about the part I played in their plan to frame you, Walter.
What about that?" she whispered.

Walter, who until that moment looked as drunk as he was, snapped to
attention--his dark eyes clearing, albeit only temporarily.

"You were doing your job, Dana.  You were following up on the evidence
you had before you and you did it thoroughly and with an eye to
solving the case, to finding out the truth.  It's what you do best,
and it's what makes you and Mulder such a formidable team."

As if this had taken the last of his energy, Walter sagged in the
chair, closing his eyes.

Dana sat watching him, too shaken to move.  Finally, when his
breathing had slowed and deepened she got up, tucking an afghan around
him as he slept.  Then she bent over, softly  brushing her lips
against his forehead.  

As she turned to leave, Walter reached out a hand to stop her.
Looking into her clear blue eyes, he gently said, "And you were hurt
Dana--it's okay to be hurt."

"I know, Walter, and so were you.  And I'm sorry for the part I played
in that hurt, no matter how small."

Tugging on her hand, Walter grinned sleepily.  "Join me?"

Dana stood for a moment, thoughtfully considering his request.

"Um, don't you think we'd both get a better night's sleep in the
bedroom?"

His drowsiness disappearing, Walter pushed himself to his feet.  "I
was hoping you'd say that."  

Smiling, Dana observed Walter as he carefully made his way towards her
room, listing to one side.  But when he abruptly stopped in the middle
of her living room, as a wave of dizziness washed over him, Dana
quickly moved to his side.  Wrapping her arms around his waist, she
slowly guided him towards the bedroom.

Once they reached her bed, Dana helped him to get settled, then she
undressed, pulling on an old Navy t-shirt of his that he'd missed when
he'd reclaimed his things. She'd worn it almost constantly for the
last four months--because it reminded her of him and because, deep
inside, she'd hoped that she would be able to return it to him herself
someday.

Sure that he was really asleep this time, Dana curled up beside him in
bed, reaching down to tug the covers up over them.  She was startled
when Walter suddenly struggled to pull himself into a sitting
position.

"Day?"

Hearing the urgency in his voice, Dana stretched out a reassuring hand
towards him.  "Yeah, Walter, I'm here.  Come, lie back down--you need
to sleep."

Fretting slightly, Walter sank down beside her.  God, he was tired,
but he couldn't go to sleep--not just yet.  He needed to tell her...

"Have to tell you something...about the old woman...that I never told
you..."

Propping herself up on her elbow, Dana gently stroked his face with
her fingers, patiently waiting for him to continue.  When he didn't,
she prompted him.  "Yes, Walt, go on..."  

Walter, fighting to stay awake, continued.  "In Nam...I was...a dead
man...she saved me...she carried me away from the light...away from
the light."

Leaning down to catch the next words softly murmurred before sleep
overcame him, Dana's eyes widened with surprise.

"I believe."

Momentarily stunned, Dana lay back down beside him, her thoughts in a
whirl.  

/Whatever I believe may have happened, it has no place on an official
report./

He believed.  He believed that the old woman was more than just a
dream, that she had actually intervened on his behalf, had saved him.
And despite her skepticism of all things paranormal, Walter had just
shared his belief with her--demonstrated his trust in her.

Staring into the dark, Dana fingered the delicate cross at her throat.
Then she smiled.

If he believed, in her and in them, how could she do any less?  

THE END.