From kdjr@v-wave.com Mon Feb 10 23:30:42 1997 DiSCLAiMER: If you haven't figured this out yet.... I DON'T OWN THEM!!! TiME SPAN: Doesn't really matter CATEGORY: MSR fluff! SPOiLERS: none (wait- there's a quote from Tooms) AUTHOR'S NOTES: Hi people! None of you know me, i'm a newbie. Anyways, i've been writing fanfic for a while now but this is the first ever that i've posted. I have more of these lost somewhere in my hard drive that i am looking for. All comments welcome at kdjr@v-wave.com (please use 'jess' as a subject line.) I'll try to respond to all sent. Feel free to post this anywhere provided that my name remains attached. Oh yeah, if any of you know a Silver Ivory, Silver Waves or Moonlight from Alberta, Canada then i am she and she is i. Enjoy! ************************************************************************ Iced Tea (1\1) by Jessica Friederichsen January 1997 Dana Scully looked hopelessly over the piles and piles of file folders, papers, slides, candy wrappers. And of course, sunflower seeds. The office was one godawful mess. Like usual. She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on. "Hey, Scully." Mulder's voice caused her eyes to fly open and her hands to drop. She hated for him to see her in any kind of weakness, he was already so over-protected. Not that it mattered. He could always read her, and often knew what to say to make her feel allright before she even realized that she was upset. And now was no different. "Headache?" Scully nodded carefully. She stopped herself, realizing that she could read him just as well as he could read her. It was part of that special bond that they shared. The one that tied them tighter than lovers... and prevented them from becoming so. She was feeling bitchy, she realized. "How can you work in this..." she paused, tring to think of an appropiate adjective, and found that she couldn't quite find a single word o describe the clutter. Mulder grinned at her, looking like a little boy. The boy he never got a chance to be, she thought ruefully. "Here's that stuff Skinner wanted us to look at. I looked at it earlier, we could be here a while." Mulder tried to sound grouchy, but couldn't help but feel a little excited about spending some uninterupped time with Scully. And it didn't involve the aliens, mutants or superhumans that they always ended up fighting about. Neither Mulder's expression or tone of voice got past Scully. "Well, I don't want to be here all night, let's just do this." She chose to ignore both, feeling much the same way herself. She thought angrily, Which was, of course, the problem. "Do what, Scully?" He teased, leaning into her, invading her personal space for the millionth time since they'd met. She just scowled at him. "I'm *not* in a good mood, Mulder, remember that." She stomped off to the computer, flipping the switch. Mulder grabbed a small booketlet from the middle of a stack of papers, books and file folders off a seemingly random table. The stack leaning dangerously to one side, but didn't fall. Mulder didn't even notice. Scully rolled her eyes, smiling. * * * * * "Finished." Mulder typed a few more words and hit the 'save' button almost viscously. Scully chucked, eyes sparkling. Mulder looked up and was completely taken away by the depth of them. She suddenly stopped laughing as she returned the intensity of his gaze. They stayed like that longer than was really proper for partners, and longer than was proper for friends. The room buzzed with a unexpected and unexplainable energy, and the now familar tension. Scully dropped her eyes, shy and wary. "Mulder..." "I'll print this out; and we can drop it at Skinner's office tommorow morning." Scully sighed. "Sure." She turned to get her coat when Mulder's voice stopped her. "Umm...Scully?" His voice barely above a whipser, the room buzzed with tension. "Yes, Mulder?" Silence. She sighed, why couldn't he ever just *ask* her for a change. Then she realized that he was. "Do you want to come back to my place? We can order pizza and watch on of those corny late-night sci-fi movies you seem to love so much." Mulder grinned, standing directly in front of her. Invading her space, again, she thought idly. She didn't mind right now though. She could smell him, the smell of his aftershave, his shampoo. She mentally dragged herself over the coals for being so weak. Again. He reached around her smoothly to grab both of their coats from the closet. She couldn't help but notice how perfect his arm seemed to fit around her hip or how his eyes never left hers. In another life... Mulder noticed Scully's face turn red and he snatched his arm back. "Sorry," he mumbled. "What for?" Scully's eyebrow raised in query. Mulder's eyes fell to the floor. She sighed and whispered, "We need to talk." "About?" he didn't raise his eyes. "Us. But not tonight." Mulder nodded slowly. Scully ducked her head under his so that he couldn't avoid her eyes. He blinked several times, taken aback by the intensity of them. They stood like that for a long time, both of thier faces becoming more and more clouded with their emotions. Mulder smiled a tender little smile and held out her jacket. He breathed a smile of relief when she smiled shyly up at him. Suddenly they became aware of just how close to each they really were. Scully took her jacket and scooted away. Mulder threw his own over his shoulders as she turned to open the door to thier cluttered, basement office. He rested his hand on the familar curve of the small of her back, absently rubbing his thumb back and forth along the edge of her suit jacket. * * * * * Mulder stared down at his partner, his friend, his... everything. She had fallen asleep during the movie. Not that he really blamed her, it had been worse than cony-- even by *his* standards! She had curled up along the couch, her head pressing hard into his thigh. His eyes were filled with an incredible amount of tenderness-- especially for someone he considered only a partner and friend. His eyes glossy, he twirled a little lock of bright auburn hair around his finger. She stirred, reaching one hand up to rest on his thigh beside her head. "Hmmm... Fox?" she murmured in her sleep. "I'm here. Do you want to go to your bed?" Mulder couldn't get over how beautiful she was, even in old jeans and an over-sized, untucked t-shirt. When she didn't answer, he assumed she was fast asleep. Gently, he eased himself out from under her. He turned the T.V off and gathered the empty pizza box, paper plates and iced tea cans. A memory floated to him. She had tried to call him Fox, and he'd laughed at her, saying he even made his parents call him Mulder. She had told him that she wouldn't put herself on the line for anyone but him. He had started loving her even then. And she had always made she that she always had iced tea in her fridge, just for him. Mulder shook his head, bringing himself back to the present. As he threw the things in the garbage he realized that she had just called him Fox, and he didn't even notice until now, much less care. He turned, smiling and saw Scully leaning against the wall. "Hey," he said in surprise. "I thought you'd fallen asleep on me." She grinned up at him, "Nope. Sorry to ruin your escape!" He held a hand to his cheast in mock offense. "Me?!? Never." Scully's face lost the gleam that always told Mulder when she was teasing. Half-smiling she whispered, "No, you belong to me." His eyes brightened and his face, too, became serious and tender. "Always, Scully." He stepped forward and wraped his arms around her hips, buring his face in her neck and he lifted her right up, off the ground. Instinctively, she snaked her arms around his neck and weaved his short, silky hair thought her fingers. Her face was pressed into his shirt, but she managed to whisper yet again. "And I to you." Mulder losened his grip on her and stared into her eyes in surprise. "Really?" She rolled her eyes, teasing again. "If you can't figure that out then you're a lousy psychiatrist." And they stared at each other dumbly, smiling. He leaned his head down and kissed the side of her mouth, lightly. A bare brush of his lips against her soft skin. She sighed. "Want to stay over?" It wouldn't be the first time, but Mulder felt a little like that was beyond merely pushing the limits. And yet... "You don't mind?" She shook her head. "You change, I'll finish cleaning up." Scully disappeared down the hallway without word. A short time later, Mulder was leaning against the open doorway, clad in blue silk boxers and white tank top. He could only stare at Scully in the half-light of her bedroom. She was wearing her navy blue pajamas and her hair was loose, framing her head on the white pillow. She shifted her legs under the quilt. "Coming?" Mulder didn't answer her, but walked around to the bed and climbed in. Scully felt his arms come around her waist and she laid her hands over his, leaning into his chest. "I love you" Mulder whispered through her hair. "I know, an you know that I love you." Her voice rang out in the darkness. A single tear fell from Mulder's closed eyes and fell into her hair. He kissed the back of her neck, but left his head resting there. "Night Scully." He said, vioce blurred with sleep. Scully didn't repy, so he gave in and began to drift off. "Dana..." ************************************************************************