From: eponine119  <eponine119@att.net>
Date: Sat, 6 Jan 1996 13:23:08 -0800
Subject: NEW: I'm too Slinky (1/1) Sequel



Category: Romance, sequel to "Slinky and Sea Monkeys"

Thanks: to everyone who read, and commented on, my story, especially 
Jessica, Ri'An, Mary, and Devon C, who got me thinking about writing a 
sequel.

Disclaimer: Scully, Mulder, Skinner, and Ethan belong to Chris Carter, 
10-13 and Fox.  Who's Ethan? you say?  He was Scully's boyfriend, in the 
pilot, but he got cut out, according to the Official Guide.  I took what 
little I know about him from Les Martin's kids book novelezation of the 
pilot, "X Marks The Spot" Both Slinky and Sea Monkeys are bound to be 
TM'd by someone. And the title has been borrowed from Right 
Said Fred.  You remember, he was Too Sexy for his car, cat, hat, shirt...

That about covers it, I think.

I'm Too Slinky
by eponine119 
eponine@uci.edu
1/6/95

	"Fred and Chester are dead," Mulder said mournfully.
	"You mean Spooky and Freaky?" Scully looked up from her paperwork 
at him.
	"No, I mean Fred and Chester." Mulder told her.  "What kind of a 
word is 'freaky' anyway - you like to use it a lot."
	Scully rose from her desk and crossed their office to inspect the 
small container on Mulder's desk.  She picked it up and shook it.  The 
deceased Sea Monkeys continued to float.  "And they were the last two," 
she said, disappointed.
	"Just like the fish," Mulder took the container out of her hands 
and put it into the metal trash can.
	"You can't just throw them away!" Scully cried, crouching down to 
retrieve them.
	"Scully, Skinner wasn't too amused with the last rites we held 
for the others." Mulder moved to stop her.
	She looked at him, fierce determination on her face.  "This is 
his fault." 
	"Skinner's?" asked Mulder.  At least she left them in the trash, 
he thought.
	"He's the one who refused to feed them when we were on our last 
assignment," Scully said.
	"I still can't believe you asked him.  They're Sea Monkeys, 
Scully.  They die."
	"Like fish," she said, looking sad.
	"Like fish." echoed Mulder.  "I told you not to name them or 
you'd get too attached."
	"You were the one who came right out with 'Fred and Chester'." 
Scully reminded him.  Dejected, she returned to her desk.  "And you liked 
them so much.  They didn't even last two whole months!"  He didn't reply 
and the office settled into quiet.  Scully picked up her pen and started 
chewing on it, her attention focused once more on paperwork.
	Mulder watched her, reminded of that day almost six weeks ago 
when he'd kissed her.  She'd kissed him.  And then..nothing.  It had 
taken him a couple of weeks to break up with his girlfriend and by that 
time, Scully was dating her old boyfriend again.  Mulder rolled his 
eyes.  Ethan.
	Mulder looked at the calendar again and then the clock.  He 
couldn't put this off much longer.  It was 3:30.  If he didn't give her 
her birthday present soon, he'd misshis chance.
	Trouble was, he didn't know how to approach it.
	"Did - uh- Ethan get you anything for your birthday?" Mulder 
asked, desperate to sound casual.
	Scully looked up, surprised.  She knew Mulder was antagonistic 
toward Ethan - had been, even before he met her.  Ethan worked hard to 
discredit Senator Matheson for supporting UFO research.  And he always 
made a point of calling Mulder "Spooky".  That was why she'd broken up 
with him.  The first time.
	"Ask me what he got me for Valentine's Day," Scully prompted.
	"What did he get you for Valentine's Day?"
	"Are you ready for this?" Scully was aware that her voice was a 
little too loud, but she couldn't help it.  "A vacuum cleaner."
	Mulder's eyebrows shot up. It was the very last thing he'd 
expected to hear.  He laughed.  "A vacuum?"
	"It's not funny, Mulder." Scully informed him, slouching 
miserably.  "It gets worse.  I think he got me a ring for my birthday."
	"A ring?" asked Mulder.  Damn it, he thought, I bought her a 
ring.  There goes that idea.  Then it hit him what she meant.  "Oh, a 
ring!"  His heart sank.
	She grimaced and nodded, and threw her pen down on the desk.  
Mulder noticed and felt a little better.  "You don't look too happy." he 
stated, trying to distance himself from this whole complicated mess.
	"Ethan's perfect for me," Scully said, trying to convince 
herself.  "He works a lot, I work a lot, we both like Chinese..."
	Mulder got up and moved closer, sitting gown on her desk, facing 
her.  "Hey."  His fingers brought her chin up to meet his eyes.  "There's 
got to be more to a relationship than both liking Chinese food," he said 
gently.
	Her eyes watered slightly as she held his gaze, not blinking.  
"There's more, of course.  He's a kind lover, and...but..."
	"No sparks." Mulder finished for her.
	Fire flashed in her eyes. "I did not say that!"
	"Scully, you just described the man as a 'kind' lover.  Not even 
'good'."  Mulder knew he was pushing too hard.  Her face was turning red, 
and she was going to explode into anger any second.
	"I think it's time for Mr. Slinky." Mulder said.  Scully had to 
laugh.  He got up, rummaged around for the metal coil, and put it into 
her hand.  "the stairs.  Now.  March." he ordered playfully.
	Scully gave him that doubtful look he found so charming, but she 
got up from her desk.  He put his hand on her arm and together they went 
out into the hall and up the stairs.
	His hand was warm and strong and firm.  But not rough, and not 
wimpy, like...she sighed.  Well, like Ethan.  It's not fair to compare 
them, she told herself.  She closed her eyes but it only made her imagine 
how Mulder's hands might feel on other parts of her body.
	Her eyes snapped open.  "Earth to Scully," Mulder said.  "You 
looked a million miles away."
	She nodded, and forced a smile.  And her eyes got stuck on his 
mouth.  So sexy, she thought, feeling herself blush as she tried to block 
the memory of kissing him.
	"I don't think this is a good idea," she said, starting to get up.
	Mulder pulled her back down next to him.  She ended up closer 
than before, her thigh pressed against his.  He leaned in to ask, "What 
are you afraid of?"
	It would be so easy, he thought.  A couple of inches would close 
the space between them.  They'd kiss and...
	And what? he asked himself.  Before, he'd believed that once he 
got up the nerve to actually do it, everything else would follow.  
Happily ever after.  But now they were futher apart than ever.  What 
would happen if she married Ethan?
	But Mulder didn't think he could make her forget Ethan with a 
kiss.  He set up the Slinky and released it.  It walked neatly down the 
stairs.  Neither of them moved to get it.  
	Finally Mulder looked at Scully.  She was still looking at the 
Slinky.  He would have paid a million dollars to know what she was 
thinking.  Instead, he got up and got the Slinky, and set it up again at 
the top of the stairs.
	"This time," he said, tugging on her arm.  She didn't get up. 
"This time," he repeated, strained, as he pulled her up to stand next to 
him, "Let's race it to the bottom of the stairs."
	She looked at him doubtfully, but she smiled.  He squeezed her 
hand and smiled back.  "Ready...set...go!"
	They clamoured down the stairs, their eyes on the Slinky.  Racing 
it wasn't as easy as they'd thought.
	Somehow, on the second to the last of the concrete steps, Mulder 
lost his balance and Scully's ankle turned and gravity took over from 
there.  They landed hard on the floor.
	Mulder felt the Slinky wrap around his ankle, but he had more 
pressing things to think about. "Are you OK?" he asked Scully, looking 
down at her.
	"Yeah," she said, and met his eyes.
	Awareness set in.  Scully suddenly couldn't breathe.  Mulder was 
lying on top of her, his weight braced partway on his hands.  Her legs 
were apart, around his.
	Mulder saw the fear blossom in her eyes, but he couldn't get up, 
not yet.  Not with the vision of her marrying someone else in his head.
	"Get off me, you're heavy!" Scully cried angrily, her hand coming 
up and punching him in the shoulder.  His arm buckled, but he'd already 
been leaning in to kiss her.  Anger turned to desire in seconds and she 
opened her mouth to meet his.
	The hand she'd punched him with wound around his neck.  She 
shifted, bringing her legs up, urging his hips closer.  He touched her 
face softly and she moaned.  He shivered at the sound and kissed her harder.
	"Holy hell, what is going on here?"
	It was like the voice of God himself.  Mulder froze and Scully 
quickly moved to sit up, trying to untangle her body from his without 
much success.  She cringed when she saw Skinner standing over them and 
thought about what he'd seen.  "Sir-" her voice was hoarse.
	"What the hell are you doing?" demanded ex-Marine Assistant 
Director Skinner.  "Pull your skirt down, Agent Scully, and answer me!"
	She couldn't move.  She was going to burst into tears.  She was 
already confused, and now she was going to lose her job...
	"We were - ah- just playing with my Slinky, sir." Mulder said brightly.
	"Your Slinky?" Skinner asked in disbelief.
	"Yes, sir.  Here it is."  Mulder pulled it off his ankle.  
"See?"  He jiggled it back and forth.
	"I see." Skinner said.  "I just wanted to wish you a happy 
birthday, Agent Scully." he said stiffly, managing a small smile before 
turning and running up the basement steps two at a time.
	"His whole head was blushing." Mulder said, in a tone that 
sounded like awe.
	Scully turned on Mulder.  "I am going to kill you!"  She roared, 
pulling herself up onto her knees.
	"You can't kill me yet, I haven't given you your birthday 
present." Mulder wise-cracked, placing tiny, dry kisses on her mouth.  
Just as she started to melt against him in response, he got up and went 
into their office.
	Scully appeared in the doorway a few seconds later, looking like 
a wanton.  Her hair was mussed, her skin flushed, her blouse halfway 
undonw - when had that happened? - her skirt hiked up.  Mulder gripped 
the desk to restrain himself.  "Birthday present?" she asked.
	He grinned.  "I don't think you'll like it." he said 
nonchalantly, opening a book, biting back a grin.
	"Mulder." she said.  He looked up innocently and she heaved the 
Slinky at him.
	It bounced off the wall behind him.  "Be careful!" he cried.  
"You could put someone's eye out with that thing!" She stomped into the 
room, grabbed her purse and her trenchcoat, and started for the door.  
"Where are you going?" Mulder got to his feet.
	She didn't answer.  He ran after her and seized her shoulders in 
the doorway.  "Scully," he said softly.  She wouldn't look at him.  "Why 
are you running?"
	She shook her head, her hair bouncing into her face as she kept 
her eyes trained on the floor.  "OK," Mulder said.  "OK."  He released 
her and pulled her present out of his pocket.  "Happy birthday," he 
pressed the small box into her hand and stormed over to his desk.  He 
picked up the book and started reading, not even peeking at her.
	Scully looked at him in amazement, then down at the velvet box.  
She opened it and a small cry escaped her lips.  Tears flooded her eyes 
and she looked at Mulder again, then took the ring out of the box.
	It was a delicate gold ring, with two hands holding a heart with 
a crown on top.  A Claddagh ring, an Irish symbol of friendship. And love.
Scully's hands began to shake.  "Mulder," she said, "look at me."
	Closing off his heart against pain, he dared to look up.  Scully 
was overwhelmed.  Say something, he urged himself.  "Do you like it?" he 
asked.
	She smiled weakly.  "It's not a vacuum cleaner." she tried to 
laugh.  Mulder shook his head.  Scully took two steps into the room.  
"Mulder, what does this mean?"
	"That depends on you." he said.  "You're the one with commitments."
	Commitments.  Heaven help her, she'd forgotten all about Ethan.  
"I -" her voice wavered.  "I think that was over before it even began. " 
she said.  "What do you want?'
	"You."
	"Is this a proposal?"
	It was the longest silence either of them had ever endured.  
Finally, one of Mulder's shoulders rose and fell in a shrug.  "If you 
want it to be."
	His eyes were hot and intense on her, waiting for a response.  
She flashed back to their adventure in the hallway.  "Ok.  Yes." she said.
	Mulder swallowed hard.  "Marriage?" he almost choked on the word.
	The fright on his face was priceless.  "Maybe later." Scully said 
confidently, striding over to him.  "But let's give us a try."  She stood 
next to him.  "What do you say?" she asked.  He remained silent, his eyes 
wide.  She sat down on his lap, straddling him.  He captured her mouth 
with his.
	"Happy birthday," he whispered.  She put the ring into his hand 
and he slipped it onto her finger.
	"Thank you," she murmured and looked him in the eye, grinning 
wickedly.  "Is that a Slinky in your pocket?" she asked.
	"Slinky's over there," Mulder replied, straight-faced, one hand 
indicating the corner.  They both burst into laughter and he hugged her.  
"Finally." he said, and she kissed him.

End.
So, did it meet your wildest dreams and expectations?  Let me know what 
you thought.  Please, please please?
eponine119 
eponine@uci.edu