From: twins@twinparadox.org
Date: Mon, 05 Feb 2001 07:54:07 -0000
Subject: xfc: NEW: HAVOC 15: Jumping to Conclusions (Sagan&Rah)
Source: xfc

Title: Havoc 15: Jumping to Conclusions
Authors: Sagan & Rah
E-mail: sagan@twinparadox.org & 
rah@twinparadox.org 
Summary: And now... the end is near...
Classification: completed series (not a WIP); RST, MSR,
Rating: R
Spoilers: for the purposes of this series, Requiem and 
everything after do not exist; several general allusions to other 
episodes.
Archive: atxc-newsgroup, auto-archive, KTF, & Spooky's ok; 
others, please ask.
Feedback: Always cherished.
Disclaimer: Never were. Never will be. Shit. 

Note: For previous segments of this series, visit our website at 
www.twinparadox.org

X

HAVOC, Part 15: Jumping to Conclusions


XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXX

Scully took another deep breath. Maybe she shouldn't have 
called during the game. She took the receiver away from her ear 
an inch, ready to hang up -- 

"What --! A flag on the play?? Oh *come* on!" came through from 
the other end. Then, "-- Hello. Mulder residence --"

Scully frowned. "Who is this?" she asked.

Langly put his beer down and sat up a little. "Well *who* is 
*this*?" he retorted. Mulder grabbed the phone away from him.

"Hello? This is Mulder --"

"It's me." 

"Hey --" he said, putting his hand up to give Langly's head a 
shove. He turned away from the television, covering his other ear 
to block the noise from his living room. "What's up?"

"Who's there?" she asked.

Mulder sighed, glancing at his 'guests,' two of whom were 
hopping in front of the television, gesturing anxiously.

"The gunmen are here," he said. "They showed up on my 
doorstep with beer and a seven-layer dip --"

"Ahhh," she smiled. "Par-tay..."

He closed his eyes with a rueful grin. "You want to come over?" 
he asked. Frohike looked up from the television.

"Is that Agent Scully?" he asked. Scully heard him and smiled to 
herself.

"No," she said. "I don't think so..." 

Mulder winced and got up from the couch, lowering his voice so 
that the guys wouldn't hear. "Are you sure? I'd love it if you would 
--" 

In front of the television, Frohike and Langly exchanged a glance. 
Byers shifted where he sat on the floor. Mulder turned and saw 
them looking at him.  

"Hold on a minute," he said into the phone. Putting his thumb 
over the mouthpiece, he walked into his bedroom and swung the 
door shut behind him. He paused and took a deep breath before 
he brought the receiver back to his ear. Scully's perfume still 
lingered in the air --- that, and another scent, musky and primal. 
His bed was still a tangled mess, the sheets lying where they 
had been tossed aside this afternoon. Scully had tried to make 
the bed before she left, but he had refused. He took his thumb 
from the mouthpiece.

"You still there?" 

"I'm here," she said. He could hear the smile in her voice. "You 
should hang up."

"No!" he cried. "Why?"  

"It's rude to be on the phone when --"

"Bahh --" He waved his hand dismissively and lay back on the 
bed. "It's just the guys," he said. "I don't want to hang up on you."

She laughed softly. 

He put his hand behind his head and gazed up at the ceiling. 
"So, tell me, Scully, what are you doing on this fine, cold January 
night?" 

"Unpacking," she said.  He could hear the floorboards creak as 
she walked through her apartment.

"Ahh. The dreaded post-vacation-laundry. Just buy all new 
clothes," he said.  

"Is that what you do?" she asked. She laughed. They were 
flirting. Seven years together, and it had come to this: flirting
over the phone. She took a long, deep breath through her nose. 

"What're you doing?" he asked. 

"Nothing." 

"C'mon, Scully -- I heard that. What are you doing?" 

"Smelling my t-shirt," she said, closing her eyes and enjoying the 
smell of him on the borrowed garment. 

"You mean *my* t-shirt. That's just a loaner, you know -- I expect 
to get that back --" 

Taking another deep lungful, she sighed. "Sure, whatever," she 
said. "You'll have to come and get it if you want it." 

"Don't say that unless you mean it," he said, his voice like smoke 
and honey. 

"I do mean it..." 

"Hey -- Mulder!  You're missing the whole game, man --!"

Even Scully heard Frohike's voice calling from the hallway. She 
chuckled. "Go back to your party, Mulder," she said.

"I'll ditch them in the second half," he said. 

"Nooo," she said. "Stay. Enjoy. Eat your seven-layer dip and 
throw popcorn at the TV..." 

Frohike pushed the door open. 

"Mulderman, get in here. Hey, who are you talking to?" 

"I'll be there in a minute."  Mulder got up off the bed and closed 
the door. "I'm sorry, Scully --" 

"It's okay."

"You won't come over?" he asked again, sitting back down on the 
bed. 

"No," she said. "You'll just have to stick it out, knowing that I'm 
lying here --"

"Lying?" he asked. "Where?"

"On my bed," she said.

"Oh yeah? Doing what?" 

She laughed, deep and throaty. It sent a thrill through him. 
"Thinking of you," she said.

Mulder reached behind him and brought her pillow to his nose, 
his voice low. "Good thoughts or bad thoughts...?" 

"Which would you prefer?"

"I'd prefer thoughts that include the two of us in an advanced 
state of undress... a certain someone's claw-foot tub overflowing 
with bubbles... glasses of wine, Barry White on the stereo --"

She laughed. "Barry White?"

His voice dropped to a deep baritone,  "Right onnn, baby."

Her murmured laughter was followed by a long silence.  He 
could hear her breathing against the receiver. He leaned back on 
the bed again, clutching the pillow.

"Scully?" 

"Yeah?" 

"What are you wearing --?" 

The door opened and Langly poked his head in. 

"Hicky and I are going on a beer run -- you want anything?" 

Mulder lifted his head with a groan of exasperation.  Holding the 
phone against his chest, he launched the pillow at Langly's face. 

"I am *on* the *phone*!" 

Langly shut the door before the pillow hit its target, but Mulder 
still caught his petulant retort as he walked back to the living 
room.  

Mulder picked the receiver back up.  "Sorry." 

"You need to get off the phone," Scully said. She was laughing 
heartily now. "They're your *guests* --" 

"Hey, I didn't invite them over," he said. "They brought the party 
with them." 

"They're still *there*," she said. "Go on, be a good host. I'll talk
to 
you a little later." 

He ground his teeth together. "Okay," he said. "Oh, and Scully?" 

"Yeah?" 

"I love you." 

She smiled. "Mmmm. Mulder?" 

"Yeah?" 

"I know you do." 

Light laughter echoed as Mulder stood to hang up and head out 
to his living room. 

"Mulder?" 

"I know you do," he said, smiling. "After the game. I promise." 

She laughed softly and hung up.

x

Mulder emerged from his bedroom to find Byers alone on his 
couch. His tie was loosened and half a glass of beer sat in front 
of him getting warm. 

He sat up straight as Mulder approached, turning down the 
volume with the remote. The Titans were down 13 to 16 in the 
fourth quarter; it looked like Langly was going to have to pay up. 

"How is Agent Scully?" Byers asked, voice low even though they 
were the only two in the apartment. 

Mulder sat down on the couch next to him. "She's fine," he said, 
his tone a bit more clipped than he had intended.

Byers nodded. "Is she coming over to watch the rest of the 
game?" he asked.

Mulder shook his head, his lips pursed slightly. "Nope."

Byers nodded again. "Is she coming over...*later*?"

Mulder looked sideways at Byers. Taking a sip of his own warm 
beer, he winced and swallowed.  "Was it obvious?" 

"If you know what to look for, yes. But don't worry; I don't think
the guys couldn't tell." 

"No?" Mulder laughed, his eyebrows raised. "How did you know 
then?"

Byers smiled mildly, his face taking on a sage expression. "Like I 
said, Mulder. You have to know what to look for..." He leaned 
forward and sniffed the air. "Or *smell* for, as the case may be."

Mulder's brows arched even higher. "Smell?" he asked.

"Agent Scully's perfume," Byers told him. "I recognized it as soon 
as we walked in."

Laughing softly in incredulous appreciation, Mulder reached 
across and took Byers' glass. "Can I interest you in a *cold* 
beverage?" he asked, getting up. Byers followed him into the 
kitchen. 

Mulder pulled a Coke from the fridge and handed it to Byers, also 
taking one for himself. He popped the tab and leaned against 
the counter, eyeing Byers. 

"Are you surprised?" he asked, watching cautiously as Byers 
wiped the inside rim of the can with a napkin. Byers pursed his 
lips and considered.

"I don't know," he said. "Do you mind if I ask --"

He looked up questioningly. Mulder shrugged, taking a swig of 
his Coke. It fizzed down his throat, stinging. "Go ahead," he said. 
"Might as well."

Byers took as sip as well. "How long have you two been --?"

He left the question dangling in the air. Mulder laughed.

"What," he said, pushing away from the counter and heading 
back into the living room, "have you got a bet going with Langly 
about it, or --"

"No!" Byers said, following him. "I wouldn't bet on something like 
that --"

Mulder eyed him closely as they sat back down. Byers blushed. 
"Well... it's with Frohike. But it's only a *small* bet."

Mulder grinned at the admission, bringing his can back to his 
lips. Byers laughed softly next to him.

"Really, Mulder," he said. "Has this been going on for awhile or 
what?"

Mulder took a deep breath, leaning back on the couch. He ran 
his hand over his head, scratching through his hair. "No," he 
said. He found that he really wanted to tell someone. "No, it's... 
it's a new thing. I guess."

They sipped their Cokes in silence.

"Well," said Byers, finally. "I guess I'm very glad for you."

Mulder looked sidelong at him.  "You *guess*?"

Byers turned. "Yeah..." he said. "I mean, it's great for you, and for 
Agent Scully -- " Byers stopped and stared straight ahead.  "But 
it'll kill poor Frohike...." 

Mulder reached over and squeezed Byers' shoulder. He 
narrowed his eyes at him.  "Listen, John -- you're the only one 
who knows about this. I'd like it to stay --" 

Byers wrinkled his nose and nodded. "Don't worry, Mulder. Your 
secret is safe with me." 

Frohike and Langly were beating on the door.  They ran into the 
apartment as soon as Mulder had opened it.  

"The Rams win it! One helluva pass by Kurt Warner in a tie game 
with only three minutes left...!" 

Mulder glanced back at Byers, who was straightening his tie and 
rolling his sleeves back down.  

"Frohike, Langly -- we need to clean up the mess we've made in 
Mulder's apartment. He's wiped out and has a job to report to in 
a few hours." 

The other men groaned. Langly held up a brown-paper package 
in his hand. "But what about this tequila?" he asked. Mulder's 
eye went wide.

"No --" he said. "You take *that* with you --"

Langly huffed, and they all set about gathering chicken bones 
and empty beer cans from the tables. 

"Thanks, G-man, for the great party," Frohike said as they 
headed to the door. "Where was the lovely Dr. Scully tonight? 
She must have had a hot date to pass up our Super Bowl party 
invite --" 

Mulder shrugged. Holding his hand up in a split-fingered Vulcan 
salute, Langly followed Frohike down the hall. Mulder turned to 
Byers, who was still standing just outside the door.

"Hey, I'm glad you all could make it," Mulder told him. "I won't 
have to go to the grocery for a few days, anyway. I've got enough 
left-overs to feed a small army." 

Byers smiled and extended his hand. Mulder shook it warmly.

"Thanks, Byers, for --- well, just thanks, I guess."

Byers leaned closer to Mulder and put his hand in his 
jacket-pocket. "I didn't want to give this to you in front of the 
others," he whispered. He pressed something dark and soft into 
Mulder's hand. "I found that on the floor near your couch when we 
were cleaning up."

And with that, Byers turned to join his friends, his face flushing a 
deep shade of crimson. Mulder looked down at the lacy fabric in 
his hand.

Scully's bra.

The gunmen's chants of "Ra-ams! Ra-ams! Ra-ams!" was 
probably disturbing the neighbors, but Mulder didn't wait around 
to find out. Locking his apartment door, he turned off the lights, 
killed the TV with the remote, and headed to his bedroom. 

Digging in a nightstand drawer, Mulder came up with a candle 
and a pack of matches. Mood lighting taken care of, Mulder 
settled into his comforter and picked up the phone. 

x

Scully's phone rang. And rang. And rang. 

*Hi, this is Dana Scully. I'm not avail --* 

"Hi -- I'm here --!" 

*so leave a message --* 

"Scully?" 

*BEEEEEEEEEEEP* 

"I'm here," she breathed, hitting buttons on her machine. "I was 
in the bathtub." 

"Ohhh, don't tell me that," he moaned. He was lying on his back 
in the middle of his bed, the phone held lightly to his ear, one 
hand tracing a line up and down the center of his chest. 

"Too much for you?" she asked. She made her way slowly back 
to the bathroom. 

"Too little," he said. "Are you getting back in?" 

She dropped the towel she had grabbed around herself and 
stepped back into the soapy water. "There -- I just slid back in." 

"Just slid back in," he echoed her, "I like the way that sounds." 

"Mulder..." 

"What?" 

The sound of water sloshing came over the phone to him. 

"I wish you were here right now." 

Mulder closed his eyes and groaned. He laughed ruefully into 
the phone. 

"So do I, Scully -- oh God, so do I."

Scully lay back with her head on a doubled-over towel and tried 
to turn the hot and cold knobs with her toes. With one arm 
draped over the side of the tub, she found the glass of Merlot 
with her fingertips. 

"Think you'll be able to get over here in the morning, Mulder? It 
hasn't stopped snowing," her voice was low, smooth and smoky, 
like the wine. 

"Wild horses won't keep me away from you tomorrow, Scully," he 
said as he rolled onto his side, hands smoothing over the 
sheets that had been wrapped around her body less than
twelve hours earlier. 

He caught the gurgling sounds of water draining on the other 
end of the line. 

"All done?" he asked, a vivid image dancing in front of his mind's 
eye. 

"Mm-hmm -- the water was getting cold," her voice a bit shaky as 
she began to dry off.  "Hang on a second while I put on my 
pajamas, okay?" she asked, heading towards her bedroom. 

"Stop, Scully." 

"What?"

"Get in bed," he said.

"Well I was about to --"

"Just get in bed," he said. "We're going to play a game..."

x

She leaned into her pillow with a long, shuddering sigh, and let 
the phone roll away from her ear. On the other end of the line, 
Mulder listened for her, breathless. 

"Scully?" His voice came low, velvety. "Did I lose you?" 

Bringing her hand languorously to her head, she swept the hair 
from her face and repositioned the phone. "Just for a moment," 
she whispered. Mulder laughed shakily on the other end. 

"Only a moment?" he teased. "Oh, I'll have to do better than that." 

"No, no, no. That was... fantastic."  He could hear her sheets 
rustle. 

Her voice came through more clearly now. "I think you've done 
this before, Mulder." 

"Done what," he said. 

"This," she said huskily.  "Over the phone." 

He grinned, feeling color rise in his face.  "Well, you know --- 
practice makes perfect, Scully." 

"I should say so," she said. She turned onto her side and 
burrowed into her pillows. There was silence over the line for a 
moment. Then they both spoke at once. 

"I guess I should ---" 

"It's getting ---" 

Scully laughed deep in her throat. Mulder spoke first.

"I'm going to hang up now and let you get some sleep," he said 
softly. 

"Ok," she said, closing her eyes dreamily.  "I'll see you in the 
morning." 

"Should I pick you up?" 

Scully breathed deeply, contentedly, through her nose.  "No -- 
don't worry about it.  I'll just see you at the office." 

Mulder frowned slightly. "Are you sure?" he asked. 

"A girl's got to keep some mystery about her, Mulder," she told 
him. "I'll see you in the office.  Goodnight, Mulder." 

"Goodnight, Scully." 

"Goodnight ---" 

"Goodnight." 

There was a pause.  "And Mulder?" 

He smiled to himself.  "I know you do, Scully." 

She laughed. "I know you do too." 


XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX

Scully hit the automatic lock on her car door, and swung her 
laptop case onto her shoulder, stooping to pick up her brief 
case. Juggling the two similarly sized bags, she wedged her 
newspaper under one arm, and reached carefully up to take her 
coffee from where she had rested it on the top of her car. 

Another day, another dollar... 

Except that today was different, she told herself, as she walked 
toward the garage elevator. Today would be *completely* 
different. A nervous smile spread across her lips as she thought 
of it --- the two of them sitting through the meeting in Skinner's 
office, digging into their next case --- all as though it were any 
other ordinary day. As though nothing had changed. 

She blushed. This would be no ordinary day. 

She stepped onto the garage elevator and rode to the lobby. The 
Hoover building was quiet at this hour. She walked through the 
security station with an absent wave toward the guards, and 
went to the elevator banks to wait for the next car headed down. 
She smiled to herself. 

*Going down...*

"Good morning, Agent Scully." 

She startled out of her reverie, lifting her head to see A.D. 
Skinner waiting next to her. 

"Oh --- good morning, sir," she said. 

"Did I startle you?" he asked with a smirk.  "You were 
somewhere else just now." 

She smiled stiffly back, and adjusted the strap of her laptop on 
her shoulder.  "I was ah --- I was just thinking about --- 
something." 

"You must have had a nice vacation," he said to her. 

Her eyes went wide. "What -?" 

There was a *ding* as one of the elevators opened, going up. 
Skinner picked up his briefcase and walked toward it, talking to 
her over his shoulder. 

"You look great. I haven't seen you looking this fresh in a while, 
Agent Scully," he said as he stepped into his elevator. "A couple 
of days off must have been just what you needed." 

A second *ding* chimed as the other elevator arrived. Scully 
stood, staring at nothing in particular as a shockwave rode 
through her.
 
Mulder poked his head out of the open elevator and saw her. He 
reached out and pulled her in. 

"Morning, Scully," Mulder said, pressing the down button and 
taking the laptop bag from her shoulder. 

She said nothing as they made their trip to the basement. The 
doors opened onto their hallway. Mulder's hand migrated to the 
small of her back as they walked toward their office. 

He leaned into her space, trying to get her attention. "What's the 
matter?" he asked.

She stopped them in front of their door. "I just saw Skinner 
upstairs," she said. 

Mulder raised his eyebrows. "And?"

"He knows, Mulder," she said. Mulder unlocked the door. 

"Knows what?" he asked, stepping back and allowing her to 
enter ahead of him. 

"That we weren't at the seminar," she said. Her briefcase fell to 
the floor between her feet while she shrugged out of her trench 
coat. She tossed her newspaper on her desk. 

Mulder grabbed her coffee and held it for her until she had a free 
hand. Then he handed it back. 

Scully brought the coffee to her lips as Mulder watched intensely. 
Their eyes locked.  He smiled and raised an eyebrow as she 
took a sip. He took a step closer as she leaned against the back 
of the door. Mulder took her face in his hands. 

"While I agree that we shouldn't show affection in the workplace, 
you've been on my mind constantly since we talked last night -- " 

His mouth covered hers gently, almost reverently. 

"I been thinking about you, too," she breathed against his lips, 
fingers twisting momentarily in his hair. 

"Now," he said, moving away from her and around toward his 
desk. "Tell me how you think Skinner found out that we didn't go 
to the seminar."  

He took a seat and rolled his chair between their desks. 

"I met him in the lobby just now," she said. "He said I looked 
'fresh.'  That taking a few days off agreed with me." 

"I hope that's not all that agreed with you," Mulder said.

She blushed, glancing at him through her lashes.

"So, that's it?" Mulder asked when she didn't continue. Scully 
looked up.

"Well -- isn't that enough? Mulder if he even suspects --" 

"Did he seem mad?" Mulder asked. Scully stared at him. She 
frowned.

"No," she said. She thought about it further. "No -- he didn't seem 
mad at all."

"See?" he said, wheeling his chair back around his desk. 
"Nothing to worry about."

He looked up and saw her eyes narrowed on him. 

"Hm," he said, getting up and plucking the coffee mug from his 
desk. "I'm going to go --"

"Mulder?"

He stopped, glancing up quickly and then away.

"Mulder." 

He avoided her eyes.  "Mmmm-yeah?" 

"What aren't you telling me?" 

"About what?" he asked without looking up. 

Scully walked to the front of his desk. She put her coffee down, 
and leaned forward on her hands over his computer monitor, 
staring at him until he looked her in the eye. 

"About our 'vacation,'" she said. "Why would Skinner comment on 
my *vacation* when he thought we were attending a seminar?"  
Her voice was low and even. 

Mulder sighed and looked up, his face a mix of resignation and 
good intentions. 

Scully stood up slowly. She rocked on her heels, her fingers 
poised on the edge of the desk. Her chin dropped to her chest, 
jaw set. "There was no seminar. Was there." 

His eyes locked on her hands as they clenched and unclenched 
in tiny fists.  

"Uh... no." 

She stared in disbelief. "So the trip was planned?" she asked. 
He nodded. She shook her head at him. "Just *how much* of 
what we did last week did you *plan*, Mulder?" 

"Scully, I'm --" 

"I can't believe you would *do* this, Mulder --!" 

"Scully --"

"You set it all up?!" she cried, he voice rising in pitch. "You set 
*me* up? Jesus Christ --"

"Please let me explain --" 

"Oh just save it, Mulder." She turned and stepped away from his 
desk. 

"I did it because I thought we needed --" 

"I said save it." 

The phone on his desk rang. He picked it up with a sigh.

"Mul -- yeah. We'll be right up." 

"Let me guess --" she said, fixing him with a cold stare.  
"Skinner's ready to see us and we're expected upstairs. It's a 
damn good thing your conscience kicked in, Mulder. Otherwise, I 
would have been up there in about ten minutes making asses 
out of both of us." 

x

Scully sat rigidly in her customary seat in Skinner's office. The 
freshness that he had remarked on earlier was largely gone, 
replaced by a pinched, irascible look. She clenched her back 
teeth together, feeling the muscles in her jaw flex, and tried to 
concentrate on what the Assistant Director was saying. 

Oh God, why didn't he just shut up and let them get out of there -- 

She saw Mulder's furtive glances, but she refused to 
acknowledge them. She warned his hand away from her armrest 
with a raise of her elbow. When he slid his foot across to tap 
hers, she drew her legs primly under her chair. It was enough to 
have to sit next to him -- if he touched her she thought she might 
scream. 

She exhaled impatiently through her nose and shifted in her 
seat.  Skinner was droning on about the upcoming executive 
review, the pathology conference he wanted her to attend next 
month, the unfinished paperwork on their last report. Her eyes 
darted around the room, looking for something to focus on --- 
*anything* --

Mulder. 

She could still taste the sugar from his coffee on her lips. 

x

Mulder watched with growing trepidation as she seethed through 
the meeting, trying more than once to catch her eye. He couldn't 
believe it was happening this way -- that she was taking it so 
badly. Did it make that much difference that their time away 
hadn't been as spontaneous as she thought?  He swallowed a 
sigh. 

"Well, I guess I can tell you two aren't ready to be back," Skinner 
said. The meeting over, he was closing up the files on his desk. 
He gave them a crooked smile. "Although, to be honest, I was a 
little surprised that neither of you broke down and came in last 
week." 

Mulder nodded weakly in return. Scully got up and went straight 
for the door. 

"Is she all right?" Skinner asked. Mulder gave him a smile that 
was more like a grimace.  He got up and re-buttoned his jacket. 

"I guess I'll go see." 

He had to run to catch up to her in the hall, where she was 
already stepping onto the elevator. He leapt through just as the 
doors slid shut, and they caught his shoulder. 

"Ah -!" he shrugged painfully as the doors opened to admit him, 
and closed again. The elevator lurched downward. 

He moved to stand in front of her, forcing her to look him in the 
eye. "Scully --" 

She turned her head aside. 

"Come on, Scully," he took her head in his hands. "What's going 
on? Why is this such a big deal?" 

She knocked his hands away. "Don't do that, ok?" 

He bit his lip and watched her as the elevator reached the 
basement and the doors bumped open. She walked into the hall 
with him right behind. 

"This is *such* a big deal, Mulder, because --" 

She stopped in the doorway to their office and turned to look at 
him. She took a deep breath.  "Because it shows that you don't 
trust me, Mulder. Not on this level." 

He gave her a lop-sided grin. "What, in the basement?" 

She walked away from him, shaking her head. "Thank you for 
proving my point," she said. 

"What do you mean?" 

"You're not taking me seriously --" 

Mulder was stunned. "Do you really think I don't trust you?" 

"What am I supposed to think?" she asked. She stopped, 
composing herself before she continued. "Mulder, I know you 
have faith in me when it comes to our work -- that you trust my 
professional knowledge and skill. But this is... different." 

"How?" he asked. "How is this different?" 

"Because it's *different*," she said. She looked up at him. "You 
wanted to go away with me -- and I'm giving you the benefit of the 
doubt that you're ulterior motives did not include what happened 
between us the other night, but..."

"What?" 

"Mulder, if you wanted to go away with me, take a vacation, have 
some fun -- *whatever* -- you should have just *asked* me." 

He stared at her. "Would you have said yes?" 

"You didn't trust me to say yes, Mulder." 

He took her face in his hands again, looking deep into her eyes. 
"But would you have said yes?" 

Scully blinked up at him, touched her tongue to the corner of her 
mouth. 

"Probably not," she said. 

She watched the delicate muscles in his face working almost 
imperceptibly; brows knitting together, jaw clenching slightly, 
eyes narrowing as he focused on her. 

"Exactly," he said. Taking his hands from her face, he walked 
past her into the office and stood over his desk, head down, one 
hand squeezing the back of his neck. She stood in front of the 
door. He started to laugh an edgy, humorless laugh. He picked 
his head up and held his hands wide. 

"I just wanted to go to Disney World, Scully," he said. "That's all." 

"Then why didn't you just *say* that?" she asked. He looked at 
her without saying anything for a moment. Then he dropped his 
hands to his sides. 

"Did you not have fun?" he asked.

"You know I did," she said. "But that's not the point --"

"Yes it is, Scully --!" He lifted his eyes to hers. "It was *whole* 
point -- did you have fun?"

"Mulder you *kidnapped* me."

He looked at her for a long moment. "Did. You. Have -"

"Yes --!" She let out her breath. "Yes, I had fun." A frustrated but 
undeniably amused smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "I 
had a *lot* of fun --" 

"Are you glad we went?" he asked, stepping around his desk. 
She crossed her arms in front of her, looking past him as she 
answered.

"Yeah," she said. He came to stand in front of her. Close up, he 
could see how hard she was trying not to smile.

"Do you still love me?" he asked, crouching low to catch her 
eyes. She broke, smiling and letting out a snort of laughter.

"Yeah," she said, trying to straighten her face. It didn't work. He 
leaned down to kiss her while she was still laughing, and her 
arms came around to pull him to her.

They were still locked together when a footstep in the hall 
caused them to leap apart, each of them moving hastily, 
smoothing down suit jackets and wiping their lips. Mulder was 
straightening his tie as Skinner appeared in the doorway. The 
AD stopped, glancing between them before he held up his hand, 
in which he was holding a stack of paperwork. He pointed it at 
Mulder.

"You left this in my office," he said, stepping forward. Skinner 
glanced at Scully, who had her hand curled against her mouth, 
her head down to conceal her flushed cheeks. Then he looked 
back at Mulder. "Your mail," Skinner said.

Mulder moved to take the letters from Skinner's hand. The AD 
indicated a Human Resources memo lying on the top of the pile 
with a grunt.

"Looks like you two are back just in time for the annual Team 
Builders' Seminar," he said, giving them both a wry look. He 
raised his eyebrows. "Think you might actually make it this 
year?"


THE END


Notes: Thanks to everyone who has been patient and read along 
with us while we recreated this crazy thing, particularly those of 
you for whom this is the second time around.

This edit/rewrite has definitely been a labor of love, and I think 
we've shed more blood, sweat and tears over this than I ever 
imagined. Had it not been for Liz's thread on the OS 13 months 
ago, Rah and I never would have crossed paths. For that I am 
eternally grateful. I feel like I've met my long lost twin sister and 
you never cease to amaze me, Sara, my friend. Upward and 
onward. ~Sagan

As someone who tends to start more than she finishes, this is a 
milestone. It sounds strange to say, but things like this *do* 
change your life.  To my Shannon (who's *snick* remains 
emortal) thanks for putting up with my tyrannies and my tough 
shit(tm), and for being there to make me smile.~Rah