From: "Michael&Rosalind Hartmann" Date: Mon, 1 Mar 1999 09:07:21 -0800 Subject: posting Please post. TITLE: Mouth (1/4) AUTHOR: R.Hartmann E-Mail Address: RozBeans@hotmail.com RATING: R (for harsh language) CATEGORY: MSR/Adventure/Romance SPOILERS: Fifth Season Keywords: MSR Mulder/Scully Romance MSR Summary: When fate won't fix itself on its own. Disclaimer: Fox, Chris Carter and 1013 own Mulder, Scully, CSM, Skinner and the Lone Gunmen...I on the other hand own Caitlin Conrad and any other characters appearing in the story. She is here by my whim and permission alone. Take everything else but her. ARCHIVE: Drop it anywhere, just let me know where to see it! This is my first posting. Its something I thought up one day while reading everyone else's fan fiction. Granted I'm no Lydia Bower, but some of those stories were killing me! Don't deny that you haven't thought the same thing! So here's my swing at the bat. Be Gentle. Mouth WASHINGTON D.C. 11:27 PM "Nothing hurts, like your mouth." He had been mumbling softly underneath his breath as he led her down the hallway to his apartment. As always, it was dimly lit and nighttime. 'God forbid they do anything during working hours', Scully thought to herself. "What, Mulder?" "Nothing." Mulder replied. He turned and looked at her as he reached his apartment door. He had forgotten why they were there. For a fleeting moment he had been thinking about the clicking of her high heels behind him, which automatically led his mind's eye up her short legs, up her ample torso, up her slender, porcelain neck and then her mouth. Her thick full lips. The strawberry red, voluptuous, round, soft lips that caressed her mouth. Her mouth, indeed. He looked upon them now as she gave him the blank stare he had become so accustomed to these past six plus years. Her mouth. Then he looked into her cold, blue eyes. Then he looked past her and finally noticed the figure that was coming up behind them. She was walking slowly behind him, almost casually lingering down the hallway. Her eyes had been at her feet as she reached behind and rechecked her gun. Something was bothering her; enough of something for her to be aware of her piece tucked into her holster along the small of her back. Touching that spot reminded her of him. Mulder. She looked up at the back of his head, his soft brown hair that was getting long in the back. Then down across his wide shoulders, watching them sway as he moved slowly down the annoying dimly lit hallway. That's when she heard him softly speak. She asked about it, he replied and turned to look at her. She could see his eyes were on her lips and she immediately thought of that summer ago. The summer they held each other in this same hallway, confessing the depth of their presence in each other's lives. Then he looked up into her eyes and she froze. She thought to herself, 'Funny...déjà vu.' She was about to smile, but then she saw his gaze averted suddenly behind her. She never had time to turn. He had just started to reach for her; to grab her and kiss her savagely when suddenly all he wanted to do was push her out of the way. He had no time for either options when a silenced bullet tore through her throat, killing her instantly, and into his chest. She fell on top of him and he onto to the ground. His assailant started to walk slowly towards Mulder and the now dead Scully. He looked down at Scully, her eyes wide open, but quite lifeless. Her mouth was open and pressed on his collarbone, mingling with the his own blood. Her lips were covered with red. Nothing hurts like...your mouth. He was facing her and he thought to himself 'this feels like déjà vu'. Scully saw his brow furrow and she said out loud. "Mulder? Did you feel...?" He had casually placed his right hand on the doorknob of his apartment, fingering it softly when it began to turn in his hand. He pulled back as if it were alive suddenly. The door swung open quickly and both agents reached for their guns. "Oh, now you're reflexes are working!" She was 5'8 and a complete stranger. Dark short hair, dark eyes and a cruel smile was on her face. She suddenly pushed forward shoving both agents against the wall with her body as her right arm came up. Just then the air they vacated was filled suddenly with sizzling bullets that shattered the window at the end of the hallway. In her right hand was a colt and with lightening speed she shot off four rounds at the figure at the end of the hallway. It crumbled to the floor with a thud. The stranger pulled away and went down the hall to examine the assailant. Whatever it was, it was now lying in a pool of slime. Both Mulder and Scully were in shock. It was Mulder who snapped out of it first and grabbed Scully, "Are you alright? Did you get hit?" His voice was shaking. Scully's eyebrows furrowed up as she answered, "No, I mean yes I'm fine." She looked away from Mulder and down the hallway to the woman. Almost inaudibly, "I'm fine, Mulder." She looks to the woman who had just saved their lives. The woman turned to face them. Suddenly she smiled a large, glorious smile. She tucked the gun back into her long, dark overcoat and smiled. "My name is Caitlin. I think you had better come with me." 'She was pushy', Scully thought to herself. Grabbing and shoving them not down, but up the stairs to the roof, Scully looked at Mulder suspiciously. He had a little smile on his face, probably enjoying the sudden change of pace. The woman, who called herself Caitlin, covered them from behind as they reached the rooftop door and opened it up. She shoved past them and onto the rooftop. It was naked and open. More rooftops in either direction. She crossed it laterally and looked over. She motioned them over and without knowing why at the time, Scully moved first. The fire escape. "Why didn't we...?" Scully started but the women ignored her and grabbed Scully by the shoulder and pushed her onto the fire escape, then the woman, then Mulder. They reached the bottom and ran quietly along dark alley and onto the street. In the darkness they ran about a block south and up to a blue sedan. Walking up to the driver's seat the woman leaned down and broke the glass in with her elbow. Opening the car and sitting down she reached underneath the steering wheel and pulled out the wires. Within moments the car started. Mulder and Scully stood looking at each other, then at the woman as she poked her head out of the car. "We went down the fire escape because more were on their way up...did you want to wait around for them or get in the car?" They drove for about a half an hour; the woman ignoring any questions either agents posed to her. She pulled into another alley, approximately 20 miles south of Mulder's apartment. She put the car in park, turned off the lights and turned to the right to look at Mulder in the front passenger seat and Scully right behind him. "It doesn't matter who I am or where I'm from. I'm here for one thing, I need to keep you two alive before day break," she reached out and took Mulder's watch arm, "which is about 8 hours away. I don't care what you're involved in, who that man was or why he turned into a pile of green shit. Is that understood?" "No." Mulder answered with his expressionless face. "How did you know he was there? How did you know we would be there? How did you get into my apartment?" "Oh come on," she snorted, "what the hell kind of lock was that on your door anyway?" He nodded, "Ok, that's one answer, any more forth coming?" Scully leaned forward. "Why should we trust you?" "Listen, after 8 hours I'll be nothing to you. Just stay alive, listen to me and in a working man's day, this will be all over." Scully's brows knitted together in distrust. "Who sent you to protect us?" "Does that really matter? In another time, another place, both of you more than likely would've died in that hallway." Mulder replied, "I saw him." "A little too late I might add." Caitlin shook her head. "None of this is important. We have to, and I love saying this, 'lay low' until the morning." "Fine," Scully replied. "Where to now then? Or are we going to drive around all night?" Caitlin looked back out the front windshield. "Well, D.C. isn't my town, I was hoping you two might know of a place." Mulder, "I might." LAIR OF THE LONE GUNMEN 12:08AM SUNRISE 6:15 AM "Who's the babe?" Frohike asked Mulder, for once not referring to Scully, as they passed through the door. "Behave, Frohike." Scully murmured. Caitlin looked down at Frohike and reached out to pat his balding head. "Hey little man,"she smiled and walked in. She did a 360 walking in taking in all the gadgetry, and from what she could tell, junk they had stacked everywhere. The rest of the Gunmen looked up and approached Mulder. The bearded gunmen spoke first, "Hey Mulder. Who's this?" Mulder turned and introduced the new person. "This is Caitlin..." then he stopped. "Conrad. Caitlin Conrad." And with a broad smile she reached out and shook the bearded man's hand. "And you are?" "Byers." He answered suspiciously. Byers turned to his left, "This is Langly and you've met Frohike." Caitlin reached out and shook Langly's hand and then Frohike's, giving him a quick wink. He smiled...more leered actually. "Nice to meet you. So you're the Lone Gunmen." Langly asked, "So you've heard of us?" "Actually, no. But damned if it doesn't sound like an damn interesting story though." She laughed a disarming laugh aimed to relax the gunmen, which it did noticeably. Mulder ran a hand in front of Frohike just then as he stared at the dark beauty. "Whoa there fella." Langly nudged Frohike and Byers asked, "So what brings you three here?" Mulder and Scully both looked to Caitlin. All eyes were on her so she answered. "Can you do a chick a favor and hide us out for the night?" "Of course," Langly answered. "What are you hiding out from?" Again all eyes were on her. She shifted uncomfortably, "Well, I don't know actually. I was just sent to protect...they tend to give as little information as possible with things like this." "They?" Byers asked. "Things like this?" Frohike added. Caitlin walked away from the group and started to circle the room. It was cavernous, but packed tight with this and that. The Gunmen followed her around the room. "Gentlemen, I do not know. I'm just a bodyguard of sorts. I know as much about what's happening tonight as you all do." Scully spoke up, "We couldn't get anything out of her either, boys. I doubt it would be much use." Caitlin turned to Scully and smiled. "She said we have till day break which is...." Langly broke in, "6:15 eastern standard time." "So," she continued, "let's just sit and wait." "Dead by dawn, eh?" Frohike mumbled and Mulder let out a stifled laugh. Scully eyes narrowed as she looked at Mulder, who was most definitely enjoying this. She thought back as he looked into her eyes to that moment, that perfect moment that was interrupted. He winked as if to let her know that he was thinking that same thing. She blushed and with a soft sigh Scully moved slowly away from Mulder with a slight dismissal. He watched her go for a moment and then his eyebrows furrowed curiously. Scully crossed the room, past the other men over to a table and three chairs against a bookcase. She pulled out one and sat down. Caitlin watched her openly for several minutes. Now, Caitlin was always one to put aside hysterical heterosexual restraints and fully admit when she saw an attractive woman, which is what Scully was to her. Her hair was a chin length cut straight hair, the color, which can only be described as red auburn, was not natural she decided, but a hint. The point of her nose matched her chin symmetrically and the fullness of her lips matched the color of her hair. Agent Scully was very uptight, at least that what Caitlin figured. Her attire was impeccable, if not anal. She wore a black three-quarter length stove pipe jacket, underneath a straight neck cut maroon blouse, simple yet elegant and matching black pants with two inch chunky heeled boots. All of it screamed creases and uniformity. Scully reached down and undid the only button and lounged quietly in the chair. Just then she turned and met Caitlin's gaze. To Scully Caitlin was impossibly beautiful, in that casual way. Caitlin stood across the room with her arms crossed in front of her. Scully could see the outline of muscles in her forearms and biceps. She had her pegged for no older that 34, but her flawless olive skin might have made her look at young as 25. Especially when she smiled, which was often. Which troubled Scully. Considering how she met this woman, what her life must be like, the smiling bothered her although it never looked faked, as if this woman was genuinely happy about something, anything. Caitlin had black, very short hair that she set free without any restraints. Not like the trend these days with the silly barrettes someone her own age might try and use. It was thick, blunt cut and unashamed. Scully looked then into her unusually gray eyes and found herself smiling. Caitlin pointed to the chair next to Scully, "May I?" "Please." Scully watched Caitlin pull the chair out, rather loudly and sit with maximum amount of noise possible. With a laugh at the screech of the chair Scully said, "I would have figured you to swoop down into the chair." Smiling sheepishly, "It was all just for shits and giggles anyway." Scully laughed suddenly very loudly. "Hah, made you laugh." The smile filled up Scully's face and into her eyes. "So Agent Scully..." Scully propped her chin into her hand and planed her elbow on the table with a smile. Her eyebrows went up with curiosity. Caitlin's eyes narrowed comically, "What's the deal with Agent Mulder?" To this question, Scully was never bored. "I get that a lot, you know." "What do you mean?" "What's the deal with Mulder and me." Caitlin's mouth went into a 'O'. "That's not what I meant. But what do you mean?" Scully flustered, "I thought you were wondering if...about Mulder. If there's was something." Caitlin cut in, "Between you two, besides being partners?" Scully shrugged. "It must be hard being paired with someone of the opposite sex. How long have you two been partners?" "About six years." "That's a long time." Scully waited for the knowing smile. It always followed this kind of questioning and she always knew what that smile meant, she had seen it for years in the bureau since walking into Mulder's life for the first time. But it never came. Instead, "Are you married?" Scully half smiled, "Not with this kind of lifestyle. I guess you can say my career is all I have." "And Agent Mulder." Caitlin added, and not with any hidden meaning behind the comment to Scully's surprise, again. "And Mulder." Scully conceded. "But if you're not married, then a boyfriend?" Scully shook her head. "Must be an interesting life then Agent Scully, to fill up your time with your work with Agent Mulder. It must be rewarding." "It is." A wistful look fluttered across her face and disappeared as quickly as it appeared. Scully's eyes dropped to the table, her long lashes blinking slowly as if heavy with sleep or some other wholly encompassing emotion. "You know, woman cannot live on lettuce alone." Scully's ice blue eyes looked back into Caitlin's. "Every now and then you should try the steak." Caitlin turned to look at Mulder who had had his back to them, but was looking over his shoulder watching them intently for a moment. He quickly averted his stare. She looked back at Scully. "I realize of course that was a horrible metaphor, but I've lived that kind of life before, Agent Scully. It's just the birds and the bees hard at work and there's not much you can do about the nature of some beasts. My, all these metaphors." She smiled again. It was a good smile Scully decided. "If two men come together and work side by side for years one of two things happen: they become tolerable allies or form the deepest of bonds that only their wives can rival. It is those men who dare to hug one another if say for example years have gone by since seeing each other or they realize the importance of personal touch means to a friendship, especially when one is in need. Emotionally or whatnot. But when a couple is paired, a man and a woman, for purely platonic reasons such as work...things happen." Scully remembered saying the same thing during a high school reunion some weeks before. 'Suddenly something changes.' "Do you know what I mean, Agent Scully?" "He chews incessantly on sunflowers." Her face and turned annoyed, her eyes crinkled up as she continued her soliloquy on the fundamentals of Agent Fox Mulder. "They package the seeds now, so you don't have to crack open the shell, but no...he sits and chews on them for hours. It's a very serious oral fixation." "But it keeps you watching, doesn't it?" Scully's annoyed expression fell, then the blush rose up in her face like a beacon in the night. 2:00 am Caitlin walked up to Langly peered over his shoulder. He was seated at what she could only assume was his desk. There were a lot of little lights, knobs and switches. "Hey Langly." He looked up at her. "Hi Caitlin." "What are you doing?" Mulder and Frohike, with their backs to her talked quietly to each other. "Did you find anything?" "No nothing under that name. It must be an alias. I even did variations on the spelling, there's nothing under Caitlin Conrad matching her description in this country." "What about her picture?" In the corridor that led to the main door of the lair was a hidden camera. He had pulled her picture from the video and enhanced it. She was ironically smiling as if she knew her picture was being taken. "Anything from that yet?" "No, but I'm still trying to hack into a couple of databases to check. Ever see eyes like that before?" Mulder thought about it, "Once I think in a movie about the Scarlet Letter. There's an actress who has eyes as gray as hers. I think it's rare. Rarer than violet." Frohike stared at her picture, "She sure is gorgeous, isn't she?" Scully had walked over to check on the progress when she over heard Frohike's question. "She's not my type Frohike." She cast a look over to Mulder who didn't answer. 'Oh boy, here we go.' Laughing he answered, "Oh but she's mine." He turned off the monitor, but let the computer run its comparisons. OUTSIDE THE LAIR OF THE LONE GUNMEN In a parked car, one block down from the building where the Lone Gunmen preside sat two men in a tinted car. In the darkness one shifts uncomfortably, "What are we going to do about it?" "Well, nothing right now. She's with them. She'll protect them and nothing will stop her." "We could," he inhaled deeply, a deep red glow broke the darkness, "terminate her." The second man's low voice chuckles, "You could try, but you wouldn't succeed. It would be best if you left her to me and my devices." "How would your 'devices' differ from ours? We are a capable group Mr. Deave, with or without your help." The man called Deave leaned over to the window, letting the faint moonlight reveal his dark brown hair and warm big brown eyes. "I sincerely doubt that, my new friend. I truly do." 2:21AM "So, there are cameras and sensors everywhere? Paranoid, aren't we?" "Do you know the whole story with Mulder and us?" Langly turned to ask her. Caitlin shrugged, "I don't know anything about Agent Mulder, Agent Scully...anything about this place or what you all do." "You don't know about the X Files?" Caitlin shook her head. "They're FBI agents who investigate paranormal or otherwise unsolvable crimes." "What? Paranormal. What like poltergeists and shit like that?" Langly laughed at her description. "Yeah, shit like that." "Then what's your story...the lone gunmen?" She put her hand up, "Wait, let me guess. You're all are into the conspiracy thing aren't you? Kennedy...lone gunmen." "Well, that's one way to put it. We put out a weekly newsletter about what really goes on in this country. That there's a government conspiracy to lie to the public about anything from taxed to UFO's." Caitlin's eyebrows had tangled up and to the corner of her forehead as he described his group goal. "Really? Damn, I wonder what your Mission Statement says." Langly blushed and laughed. "Alright, I know it sounds a bit...." "Out-fucking-landish?" She said goodheartedly. "Out landish, yes. But Mulder has proof." That stopped her cold. The smile dropped from her face and her eyes narrowed. "What do you mean proof?" 'Just what in the HELL was going on?' she thought silently. She looked over to Mulder and Byers talking about their latest newsletter when he looked up and met her gaze. His eyebrows wrinkled in confusion when he saw the look on her face. She looked back to Langly. "I don't understand." "It's a long, drawn out theory and I don't think you'd believe me if I told you." "Well, break it down for me." Langly called Frohike and Byers over. He murmured something to them and they all looked back at her. Frohike spoke first. "Life as we know it isn't what it seems. The government controls what we hear and practically what we think. They hide the truth as simply as if it were swept dirt under the carpet. There's a small group of men, we think, that control our government and we think several other important countries in the world." Byers was next, "We hear names like Consortium, the Syndicate; a group of men who have their fingers in everything. Every hospital, every state government, and I wouldn't be surprise if it came down to the local police." "I saw it." Everyone turned to Mulder who had spoken. He looked over to Scully who had her arms crossed and her lips puckered. "Last summer, in Antarctica." "Antarctica? Isn't that little out of your jurisdiction Agent Mulder?" Caitlin asked softly. "Why were you there in the first place?" "You don't know?" Mulder replied. Caitlin relaxed her features and tilted her head to the side. "I'm not part of what you think is going on here, Agent Mulder. I don't think my people know about this." "Who are your people?" Scully asked. "Ah hell Agent Scully, you wouldn't believe me." Frohike answered. "You'd be surprised." Caitlin thought for a long moment. She wasn't about to tell them who she was or where she was from, there would be no point in it. "I'm not an X File to be hunted down and filed away, Agent Mulder. After 6:15 this morning, I'll be nothing but a memory." Langly caught the flicker on his console and cursed. "Oh shit!" Byers came up beside him. Langly flipped on the video camera monitor and really let out a colorful expletive. "We've got company." An unmarked van pulled up in front of the warehouse housing the Gunmen and seven men file out onto the street. They reach the center of the building and then split up in different directions. "Oh shit! Did you see the size of those guys?" Frohike exclaimed as Byers and Langly grab him away from the monitor and towards the back of the room. "Where's another way out!" Scully yells as she takes out her gun and aims it at the ceiling. "Here!" Byers yells as he pushes a false junk wall to the side, revealing a door out. He's about to open the door when Caitlin stops him. She grabs his arm and he turns to protest. Not six inches away from his face is a colt 44. Quite possibly the nastiest gun he has ever seen in his life. "Hold on there, my man. Do you want to be first out?" Caitlin whispered near his cheek as she pulled him behind her and opened the door. She pokes her head out quickly to see a long lighted corridor. "Where does this lead?" "Anywhere. The roof top, the basement, the back door." She rolled her eyes, "This is the only way out for us, the only way in for them, right?" Langly shrugged, "We didn't say it was a good way to go, just the only other way." They filed into the corridor and started to move quickly, but silently down. "Agent Mulder?" She called out to him. "Please tell me you still have your gun, you too Agent Scully. Are you backing us up?" In a hurried whisper, "We got it." Mulder pushed Scully in front of him to protect the rear, but hovered near her to protect her. "You ok?" he asks. "Considering", Scully answers with a smile. They were nearing a corner and Caitlin slowly took it. Suddenly the line stopped. "Langly!" "What WHAT!" he yelled in a scared man's voice. She comes back around the corner, "It splits up, where does it go?" The Gunmen came around, Langly answering. "Left is basement, right is rooftop. Left is also back door." "Christ, alright. Alright." Caitlin noticed her breathing had been fast and hurried so she closed her eyes for a moment and caught back up with her heart. "Do you have a gun, anyone of you?" They shook their heads. "Listen, they're not after you. Double back and pretend like you never saw us?" "WHAT?" They yelled in unison. "Mulder, help me here. Am I right, will they be ok?" Mulder cursed under his breath. He reached down and took the spare gun from the Velcro patch at his leg. He handed Byers the gun and jerked his head back for them. "Go, we'll be in touch. I think she's right." "You think?!" Frohike yelled. Byers grabbed the two other gunmen and headed back. "Good luck you three," and with that they disappeared back around the corridor and down to the lit door at the end. "Where to now?" Scully asked, her gun in her hand, breathing heavily now with fright. Caitlin looked down the left hallway and turned right. "Hopefully they're coming in from the ground, not the rooftop. But then I don't know these guys like you two might. But let's move." Three burly figures enter the back door of the old warehouse; one through the front and three from the rooftop. The gunmen hurriedly ran back into the room and shove the false wall back just in time to have their front door kicked in from one of the intruders. "Holy shit." Langly quietly squeaks out at the sight of the man. He was at least 6'6", 300 some odd pounds and another, very nasty looking gun in his right hand. He uttered one word. "Where?" They were full out running now; Mulder holding up the rear with Caitlin taking the corners slowly and then full out running the distance. Then it suddenly forked. The left was a staircase, the right another long corridor. "Rooftop?" Caitlin suggested. "Back door?" Mulder nodded in the right direction. "Either way, I think we're screwed." Then suddenly a bullet whizzed by Mulder's head and ricocheted of the staircases metal frame. They ducked and ran up the staircase, dodging the barrage of bullets that were coming now. "Did you see any?" Scully asked as she pounded up the steps. "No, goddamnit." Caitlin sputtered as she took double steps up the stairs. Four flights they run up the stairs when they hear more footsteps coming behind them. At the top of the final flight there is a short corridor then another fork. "Oh..." Caitlin curses and then listens down the steps for the footfalls of their pursuers. "What? Three? I hear three." "Maybe four." Mulder strains to hear. They run to the end of the corridor and peek around. Silence from that end. Caitlin turns, "Ok, I'm open for suggestions. Which way is out?" The footfalls were closer. "Right!" "Left!" "DUCK!" Caitlin yells as the first of the men from the back door entrance make it to the top. She squeezes her gun and two bullets hit him hard in the chest and knocks him back. Just then more bullets come from the right grazing Scully and catching Caitlin full on in the chest with two slugs. She is spun around and hits the corner of the wall. "Caitlin!" Mulder grabs her and Scully. Moving to the left Scully can hear Caitlin wheezing for breath. She reaches out to check her while running, but Caitlin pushes her away. Although seriously wounded, she almost passes Scully in the long corridor, presumably out to the rooftop. Bullets are now coming full on as they reach the end of the corridor. Falling back Caitlin covers and turns to face them. "COME ON!" Mulder yells turning the corner which now protects them from the bullets. "Go. I'll find you both later. Make it to the rooftop and away...keep moving." "Let's GO!" Scully yells at Caitlin, grabbing her arm. "You know god damn well someone has to stay. Go, don't wait for me." They both look at her pleading. Bullets spraying around them, kicking up plaster off the wall. "Don't worry about me." She said in a low tone. And with that, the agents flew down the last corridor to another door and pushed out into the night. Caitlin reached down and touched her chest. The blood was flowing freely now. She smiled and slid to the ground with back to the wall, leaving a bloody stain. The three men make it down the hall and around the corner. They stare down at her as she slumps to the side and exhales one last breath. They start to move again towards the door not 25 feet away when they heard it. Ping Something rolled down the hallway towards them. They stopped and look at the small cylinder rolling towards them and then up to see the woman standing and of all things, smiling. Caitlin jumped off to her left, just missing the explosion in the corridor from the small hand grenade she just set off. She stands back up, cleans herself off and reaches for her gun again. She can hear slow footfalls down the corridor. She looks around the corner and down at the men. They were more or less blown to bits, blood in the corridor, the smell of burnt flesh. She takes out another small cylinder. Considers it, then puts it away. Checking the bullets in her gun, she mumbles to herself, 'What the hell." She starts to walk in the direction of the footfalls; there were only two bullets in her and she was doing just fine. 5:40 AM Middle of Nowhere In the darkness of another car, Mulder reached out to Scully to grab her hand. "So what do you think about this?" He squeezed her hand softly. She watched him do this with her clear, blue eyes and sighed softly. "I don't know, but this was a first. Why were we so willing to let her help us?" "She saved our lives." "Yeah, but how do we know that it wasn't set up?" Mulder nodded, but added, "You heard her wheezing, at least one got her in the lung, that's a painful way to die. No one could plan that." They were driving aimlessly out to the country, just waiting for dawn. He pulled the car over to the side of the rode and turned off the engine. He sat in silence for a moment and then turned to look at her with those hazel eyes. "She's dead by now, Scully. It can't be any more real than that." "Yeah," she looked away from his penetrating stare. Sometimes she felt like she was exposed for what she was and felt for him when he stared at her like that. It was getting harder and harder to judge where that fine line once was. Mulder looked deep into her eyes, and then she averted her gaze. He would have to stop doing that; staring so deeply into her wanting to read her soul and reveal his feelings and desires to her with a single look. When had everything changed for them? Her cancer, maybe? The thought of losing her. Or maybe Van Blundt's attempt to seduce her with his looks. What had that whole incident meant? Would she have with him? 'Hell,' he wondered, 'would she with me?' Her deep, tired sigh broke his train of thought. Scully couldn't begin to know what was happening. This evening's events or with her and Mulder. The closeness of his body and the rawness she felt from the adrenaline left her feeling a thousand time more sensitive to Mulder's touch. She turn her hand and entwined her fingers with his, not looking at him, but their hands. She feels Mulder stare turn down to their hands as well. The warmth of his skin against hers almost makes her sob with an aching she couldn't, or maybe wouldn't, explain. Suddenly it was as if she was focusing on every little breath he took, the sound of his sigh, the hisses of his inhale. As she closed her eyes, it almost pained her to think of how close she was to him, but what was almost worse was how far he really seemed. Mulder felt like he was going to vomit. He watched her eyes close slowly as if they were carrying a heavy burden, but what was almost too much was how her tongue came out to lick her ruby lips which slowly parted. Her lips. Her mouth. He couldn't look at them without the desire reeling its ugly head and murmuring its painfully erotic needs. Before he knew it, their foreheads were touching, they were drawn to each other, he needed her as much as she needed him, emotionally as well as physically. But it was her mouth he most desired right at this moment. It surprised Scully when she felt their foreheads connect softly. There they sat, in the front seat of another nondescript car, the windows suspiciously fogging up from their hot breaths coming from their bodies. Her grip tightened suddenly and her emotions welled up inside her like the crest of a wave on its inevitable long journey down. She opened her eyes, focusing on the bridge of his slightly bulbous nose. The thought conjured up a small smile. He saw the smile and it warmed him. He could see the whiteness of her teeth and the joy on her face that was suddenly there. She was sitting so close to him, so close they were almost one and her smile washed everything away. He pulled away gently to look at her fully. Her eyes reached his and held them there. What came next was so automatic to him. They were sitting down the middle of the front seat of the car when he reached out with his left hand. Her eyes broke from his to watch his hand move when he murmured, "No, Scully." She looked back at him. He had said it in barely a whisper. His left hand smooth over her right thigh and grabbed both of her legs. Mulder gently pulled her towards him, laying her legs across his so she was almost in his lap, but not on it. He left his hand resting gently on her hip, which sent electricity through her body, but something was different just then. He pulled his right hand from hers and both arms embraced her, tucking her securely into his chest. Scully bent her head forward to lay in the crook of his neck as his hands caressed her back slowly and then stopped. She curled her arms inward and just let herself be held by Mulder and letting the wave of something so indecipherable, so much bigger than both of them envelop them. 'This is what they had' Mulder thought to himself and he gently rested his chin on her soft, auburn hair. They sat like that, in a nondescript car, on the corner of the road, in the middle of nowhere as the new day began. Did I mention there were four parts? Please email any comments, hate letters or pleasant well wishing on my pathetic first attempt at a MSR story to RozBeans@hotmail.com I'm very interested in what everyone thinks!