From: ephemeral@ephemeralfic.org Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 03:51:08 -0600 Subject: Right in the Zone (sequel to Right in the Kisser) by Kerowyn Source: direct Reply To: ladyker@hotmail.com Title: Right in the Zone (1/1) Author: Kerowyn Email address: ladyker@hotmail.com Distribution: Ephemeral, Gossamer, anywhere else plz ask first! Rating: PG-13 for mild language and some steamy conversation & situations, what could be more fun? Category: S Spoilers: FPS Keywords: post-episode story, MSR, UST, sequel to "Right in the Kisser" Disclaimer: M & S (sadly) still belong to CC, who obviously doesn't know what to do with 'em anymore. Is it so wrong for me to make up stories with my very own M & S action figures? Summary: Mulder is tired of Scully ripping on him and he thinks he knows why she's acting the way she does. What happens when he calls her on it? Notes: This is a sequel to "Right in the Kisser" but you don't really have to read that one first. It's a bit of a twist from the last installment, this time Mulder confronts Scully on her, ahem, anti-social behavior. And you know what? Things start to get really interesting. Like before, this whole posting my fanfic thing is new to me so if you send me feedback, please be nice. I'm very sensitive. But if you want to gush, I'm all ears! You might pick up a little anti-feminist feeling on my part, and I assure you, it's purely intentional. Most feminists would like to burn me at the stake, I'm sure. All I have to say is, there's a big difference between wanting equality and considering yourself superior. Oh, and yes, I am female in RL. And yes, I do enjoy a good kick-ass computer game along with the rest of the men on the planet. Am I the only one who thinks Scully needs to lighten up? p.s. This is for JJ, who said she wanted more and suggested another post-ep fic. Hope you like it! And if any of you lurkers out there feel the same way, lemme know and I'll see what I can do to make ya happy. I happily accept suggestions for where you would like to see the story go. XxXxXxXxXxX Scully fumed. Not one of her usual fumes either, this qualified as a full-blown, smoke coming out of her ears fume. *After that whole talk we had,* she thought to herself. *I WILL have to hit him this time. Insensitive, testosterone-driven, male...* she forced herself to stop coming up with epithets for her partner before things got truly out of hand. Mulder sat in his usual place in his usual office and surreptitiously studied his partner. From the way she kept gnawing on her lip with her canine he knew she was angry, as usual. Perhaps he didn't comprehend the true extent of her ire, but nonetheless, he wasn't completely stupid. The last time he provoked her this badly she ended up practically shouting at him. *The 'Cops' thing,* he remembered with a concealed grimace. He'd been an ass and she'd called him on it. He deserved every ounce of anger she threw at him. This time he wasn't so sure. Still, he contemplated the situation. Things...he sighed inwardly. *We, us, the two of us, it's never easy is it?* he considered. He shied away from using the word "relationship" but he would never admit that shred of denial, not even to himself. He didn't know about Scully, but since she blew up at him and he apologized and they made up and he held her, he'd felt pretty damn distracted. He caught his mind wandering, simply remembering, reliving the feel of her in his arms all too often. Mulder had patience, he had fortitude, but dammit, this woman tested him every day. He couldn't remember a time before he felt this way about her. They had never once discussed it, he couldn't even imagine talking to her about it. Those were the rules: Don't talk about it, don't admit it, and most important, don't do anything about it. Most of the time he agreed that's how it should be. Most of the time it wasn't really a problem, he had other things to worry about. It's not like anything was wrong with the arrangement. They spent practically all their time together, so he didn't think he was missing much. But every once in a while, his world went crazy. She made him crazy in a way no one ever had, does, or ever could. Maybe that's why he acted the way he did on this case. She seemed hell bent on proving him a deranged, violent, sex-crazed maniac. Mulder knew his partner too well. At first he didn't mean to provoke her, but he could see the, what? Tension, hostility, frustration, and sheer feminist arrogance all rolled up in one, building up moment by moment. Not only did he want her to get it out of her system, he wanted to help her unload all this crap. Otherwise it undoubtedly came out at him sooner or later, and (this time at least) he really didn't think he deserved it. This time would be different. She was angry, she was getting ready to let him have it, but he was ready for it. Ready for Angry Scully. "So Scully, wanna go play laser-tag this weekend?" he asked her. It came out so obnoxiously playful, he grinned. *Even better than I planned*, he congratulated himself. Scully looked him in the eye. He knew that look well. The look that said, "You could freeze water on my ass and if you even think of trying it I'll rip your huevos off and wrap them around your neck." Most of the time it made his gut twist, this time he had to keep himself from laughing out loud. His aforementioned gut wavered when her look turned from ice to tears he could practically see brimming on the surface. *Angry Scully good,* he thought. *Hurt Scully very bad.* He couldn't help it, he just crumpled inside when she looked at him that way. "What's wrong?" he asked, very much like the way he asked last time before she read him the riot act. His heart lifted when he heard her utter a tiny, microscopic, undetectable to anything less sensitive than Mulder-hearing "hrrmph". Meanwhile, Scully tried to keep herself together. *Stay angry,* she told herself. *Stay strong. If I start crying I'll only make a bigger fool of myself.* She stood up, trying to express a bit more dominant body language. "What's wrong," she repeated, almost tonelessly. "I'll tell you what's wrong," she said, warming up. *Yes!* thought Mulder. *She's in the Zone!* Mulder kept his face straight as the Scullytirade began. "You, you are what's wrong Mulder." She stopped suddenly and sighed, then continued. "I really thought I got through to you, I really thought things would be different." She rounded on him, fist clenched and ready to strike. "You apologized for treating me like an object. You said you didn't mean to take me for granted. What, were you lying to me?" Her voice broke on the last sentence, but Mulder didn't make it any easier for her by answering. He simply waited for the rest. Scully eyed him, waiting for him to make some comment she could dissect like a malignant growth and throw back in his face. When he remained silent, she picked up again. "So what do you do? You run off without even telling me where you are going and I have to go save your ass, AGAIN. Did you even consider thanking me? No, of course not. I'm your goddamn faithful terrier, Mulder! I'm sick of it! I'm sick of you treating me this way! And I'm sick of myself for putting up with it!" She looked ready to storm out of the office but Mulder thought otherwise. If she meant it, she would have left by now. "Are you done?" he asked evenly. Scully's cheeks lit up a blazing red and she looked about ready to explode. Or maybe even make good on her promise to hit him, right in the kisser. Mulder felt ready. He knew how to press her buttons, and he was nowhere near ready to stop. He stood up and walked briskly toward her. She backed up, but didn't get very far considering the filing cabinet was only about a foot behind her. Mulder didn't stop until she backed up all the way and his face was inches from hers. To infuriate her even more, he placed his hands against the filing cabinet, effectively trapping her. He thought she looked angry before, now he could actually see the steam coming out of her ears. *Violate her physical boundaries, good show old man,* he told himself. He didn't plan on letting up until she had broken down, one way or another. "I said are you done?" he repeated. Scully viciously crossed her arms over her chest glared up at his face, and nodded once. He resisted the urge to glance down and see if she was standing on her tip-toes just to gain that much more advantage. "Alright then," Mulder began. "I know I was a jerk on that last case in L.A. I apologized, and I meant it. I still mean it." Scully shifted uncomfortably. *You don't like it when I turn the tables on you, do you?* he thought to himself. "Yes, I ran off, but I thought I had good reason. My friends were in danger and I wanted to help. Is that alright with you?" He gave the last few words a snide twist and watched Scully twist too. He could tell she hated every minute of this. It didn't stop him. "I didn't expect you to come after me, in fact, I didn't want you to. I didn't want to put you in danger." His voice grew softer as he explained his reasons, and Scully relaxed a bit. But only a bit. "I can tell you're angry at me," he continued, and Scully snorted. He pressed onward. "But what's the real reason, Scully? Were you afraid I'd enjoy myself too much?" Scully gave him a look he could only describe as incredulous. *Time to gloat,* he decided. "I knew it, you're jealous. All that pompous feminist crap just because I might find another woman attractive," he finished with a grin. Scully decided she'd had enough. "What do you think you are talking about?" she began, and shoved him in the chest, hard. He backed up a step to keep from falling over, but the grin on his face stayed strong. "For one thing, what would I care about your testosterone-fueled fantasies? And for another," she sputtered, "It's not even a real woman, Mulder, it's just some collection of bytes in a computer! I can't believe you. You are so, so," she searched for words, "you are such a typical man. Egotistical, self-centered, brain firmly between your legs." Scully's eyes rolled heavenward as if to beg the angels for strength. Mulder pointed a finger at her and poked Scully hard, right in the solar plexus. "That's where you've got it wrong, lady," he informed her calmly. Her mouth dropped open in shock. Shock over the way he touched her? Because he didn't back down? "You go on and on about us MEN like we're some lower life form. You can't tell me women are any different." Mulder remained smug. Scully broke in, "What do you think you are talking about? Most women would never play a game like that. The rampant violence, we just don't get off on it. And the virtual, physically impossible sex objects? I'm sorry Mulder, but you've got women, and me, all wrong." Mulder shrugged. "Maybe," he admitted. "But I don't think so. You can't tell me women don't feel angry, or violent, they usually don't express it like men do. I saw you clench your fist, you were thinking of nothing more than popping me a good one right here." He pointed to his jaw, then continued. "It's just socialization. Same with the sex thing, like you would ever get a woman to admit that she masturbates. We all have the same urges," he patiently explained, "but for some reason you think because of cultural differences that makes women superior." "Oh yeah, Mr. Equality?" Scully scoffed. "Let me tell you something. I know plenty of women who masturbate. It's a perfectly natural urge, and I have yet to see hair growing on MY palms." For some reason Scully couldn't comprehend, her statement made Mulder's grin even wider. "Are you telling me you touch yourself, Scully?" he said through a toothy smile. "So let me in on this natural urge of yours. Just what do you think about?" For a moment, Scully wondered just how in the hell she got into this situation. Blushing, she tried to fend off her partner's question. "How dare you ask me such a personal question! It's none of your business, nosy!" Mulder backed off a little, but for some strange reason he looked satisfied. It only made Scully's anger come back with a vengeance. She spit out, "Okay, so what do you think about, Mulder? Answer me that." In a split second Mulder realized what kind of a pit he'd dug for himself. He had already broken rule number one: Don't talk about it; and he was rapidly approaching rule number two: Don't admit it. *Too late now*, he told himself, completely denying the fact that he could back down and pretend this whole conversation never happened. For her part, Scully had a lot of practice doing that exact thing and wouldn't bat an eyelash. For a moment Mulder eyed his partner, still backed up against the filing cabinet, arms crossed, blushing furiously. He moved in closer to her, put his hands on her shoulders and slid them slowly down until he held her tiny hips in his grasp. He had no doubt she could feel the raging hard-on he had going firm against her belly. Her eyes went dark and smoky, and he whispered, "What do you think?" Scully's mind couldn't comprehend what her partner just did and shut down. *Too much sensory input,* was all she could think as her mouth went dry. She licked her lips as the sensations spread from Mulder's hands on her hips up her spine and down again. *Just like little bursts of lightning,* she thought incoherently. *Been too long, that's all,* she told herself. Mulder watched Scully's eyes, rapt with his, as he felt her uncross her arms and put her shaking hands around his wrists. He could barely feel the tremors that wracked her body because of his own labored breathing. How many times had pictured doing something like this somewhere near this exact spot? *Up against the filing cabinet,* he remembered. *Maybe she's right, I am a pig,* he thought. He must have let that last thought slip out of his mouth because Scully said something like, "Huh?" Jarring him back into reality, Mulder let go of her and stiffly returned to his original seat behind his desk. "Um, maybe you've got a point there, Scully," he complied. Scully re-crossed her arms over her chest. She replied, "Ah, yeah, and you could be right too, I mean, I guess I treated you a little harshly." *Stop babbling,* she reprimanded herself as she moved back to her own space. Mulder sighed inwardly and tried to change the subject with himself. XxXxXxXxXxXx Mwahahahaha....