From: ephemeral@ephemeralfic.org Date: 10 Jun 2002 04:09:45 -0000 Subject: Riguardo a Manette e Rossa (MSR) by Numbers Source: direct Reply To: gailnick@ptd.net Title: Riguardo a Manette e Rossa (a rough Italian translation for 'Concerning Handcuffs and Redheads') Rating: R for bad language, and sexual situations. Author: Numbers Date: June 8, 2002 Spoilers: FTF and anything leading up to it. Timeline: This story takes place a few months following Mulder and Scully's return from Antarctica. Disclaimer: The characters contained in this story belong to Chris Carter, 1013, and Fox. No copyright infringement intended. I'm not making any money either. I just do this for the feedback! (hint, hint) Dedicated to: Angelique, as always, for great beta and for being such a wonderful friend - You're the greatest! Also to the xfa cr family - thanx for always encouraging me...you guys ROCK! And for Joe, because I love him Summary: Mulder and Scully face a few situations that they've never encountered before, and some that they have. Oh, just read it, you'll see what I mean... Feedback: gailnick@ptd.net..... I need positive feedback to boost my low self-esteem. Really! Just ask Angel.... ----------------------------------------------------- "Riguardo a Manette e Rossa" "Ringgggggggggg.....ringggggggggggg!" At the shrill sound of the telephone echoing through his living room, Mulder awoke with such a start that he lurched himself sideways and off the couch, banging his right temple full force off of the coffee table."OW! Geez, I'm coming....I'm coming already," he murmured as he picked himself up off the floor and headed for the phone, "keep your shirt on." He really hoped it wasn't Skinner. Everytime his phone rang at the ungodly hour of... what was it?... 6:08 A.M., he discovered as he glanced at the clock.... Hey, his phone NEVER rang this early! Probably kids playing a prank before school or someone who dialed the wrong number. He picked up the phone on the seventh ring. "Mulder." "Fox, its Maggie Scully." When he heard her voice, Mulder was suddenly wide awake. "Dana just called me and told me she got a lead on some case you're investigating. She asked me to tell you she was heading to that empty warehouse just outside of Georgetown. You know, the place where they used to make beer. What are they called again? Oh, yes; a brewery. Anyway, she was in a hurry but made it VERY clear that I was supposed to tell you right away. I'm sorry to call you at this hour, Fox, but it really DID seem important to her..." Maggie's voice trailed off. "No, Mrs. Scully, that's ok. I'm glad you called right away." Mulder's mind was already racing...none of this made sense. They weren't even WORKING on a case at present. What the hell was going on? And Scully would NEVER involve her mother in their work in ANY way! He kept his voice steady so as not to worry Maggie. "You say she said she was headed to the old brewery?" "Yes, and she really seemed in a hurry." "Ok, I'll head over there as quickly as possible and find out what's going on. Thank you so much for letting me know. You take care now, Mrs. Scully. And thanks again." "Allright, Fox. You take care too. Goodbye." And with that, she hung up and Mulder was left listening to the dial tone. Quickly, he hung the phone up and practically ran to the shower. When he was done, he threw on a pair of jeans, a gray t-shirt, socks and his running shoes. He didn't even bother shaving. Grabbing his gun and keys, he headed for his car. The whole way to the brewery, Mulder tried to figure out just WHAT could be going on. His mind kept drawing blanks. This was NOT like Scully at all...and then it hit him. Scully was in trouble! He suddenly knew it like he knew how to breathe. It was that unspoken connection between them kicking into overdrive. He could FEEL her distress. Oh God! He had to get to her, NOW! Mulder sped up, breaking the speed limit by a good 30mph. "Just don't let me get stopped for speeding now," he said to himself. Finally he spotted his destination. There was Scully's car! He pulled the car up right next to hers, the breaks squealing when he slammed the pedal down. Jumping out, he ran up the steps, taking them two and even three at a time, until he reached the huge steel doors. He pulled on the knob, and to his surprise, the doors opened immediately. He had to push with all his weight, the doors receding back into the old warehouse. He took a deep breath and swore he could smell her fear. Something was definetly WRONG. ------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------- 5:50 A.M. Scully rolled over in bed and sat up on the edge, feeling around the rug with her feet until they came to rest inside her slippers. She ran a hand through her hair, wincing as she got stuck in quite a few knots. "Keep getting all knotted up, and I'll be forced to get a MULDER haircut. You wouldn't want that, would you?" she asked her offending locks. As if in answer, her fingers encountered two more stubborn spots, yanking on her scalp as she attempted to comb her fingers through them. "Ouch! Ok, ok, you win...no Mulder haircut..." She went into the bathroom and peed, then stood in front of the mirror staring at her reflection. Yikes! she thought. Thank God its Saturday! She looked like hell warmed over. She was still recovering from the last few cases she and Mulder had worked on; not to mention Antarctica... A day of lying around doing nothing was just what she needed. And she'd start doing nothing right after a nice hot cup of coffee. Mmmm, that sounded good. She was in her kitchen pouring a cup when the phone rang. It startled her, and some of the coffee sloshed out of the pot and onto the counter and floor. "Damn it!" she swore; and walked over to pick it up. Who would be calling her this early, anyway? If this was Mulder, he was going to pay..."Hello - Scully," she said in the most professional tone she could muster. "Agent Scully, its A.D. Skinner." "Oh...good morning, sir. What can I do for you?" "Yes, good morning...sorry to be calling you so early; especially on the weekend, but Mulder just called me and asked me to pass along some information to you. He said he couldn't reach you because your phone was busy, and your cell phone was turned off. Probably so you could get some rest, he said, but he wanted me to keep trying until I got you," Skinner's voice sounded rusty and unused, as if he had just been sleeping himself. Thoughts were racing through Scully's mind. Her cell phone hadn't been turned off! And there was obviously nothing wrong with this phone either, because Skinner had gotten ahold of her with no problems. Just what the hell was going on here? "Anyhow, agent," Skinner continued, "Mulder said he wants you to meet him at the old, abandoned brewery outside of Georgetown. Some lead about a case. He said you should get there as soon as you can." Case? What case? The old brewery? What on EARTH was going on? Scully realized she was still on the phone with Skinner, and he was waiting for her to reply. "Yes, sir. The old abandoned brewery. I'll head down there as soon as I can. Thank you, sir." "Your welcome, Scully. Oh, and by the way, I didn't have any trouble getting through to you, so maybe you should inform Agent Mulder to check his OWN phones for problems." "Yes, sir, I will. Goodbye." "Goodbye Agent Scully." Scully hung up the phone, her mind in a whirl. And then, it hit her. Hard. Like a physical blow to the gut. Mulder was in trouble! She couldn't explain HOW she knew...she just... DID. She'd heard of twins having this, sort of, psychic connection; but she was HARDLY Mulder's twin! "Well, no use trying to figure it out now," she said aloud. She hurried to the bathroom and quickly showered and washed her hair. Because she was in a hurry, she just threw on an old pair of jeans that had a small hole in the right knee, and a white t-shirt that looked suspiciously like it had belonged to Mulder in a previous life. "Oh well, he has so many of them, he'll never recognize it." She didn't even bother to blow- dry her hair. "Good thing it's Saturday," she said, thinking she had to stop this ever increasing habit she had developed of talking to herself. She grabbed her keys, and reached for her gun. All the way to the old brewery, Scully tried in vain to figure out what could be going on. The only thing she DID know for sure was that Mulder was in some sort of danger. She HAD to get to him as quickly as possible. Soon, she spotted the old warehouse and parked her car directly in front of the cracked cement steps that led to the steel front doors. She got out, running up the steps swiftly. She reached the doors and turned the knob, but the doors wouldn't open. She jiggled the knob a little, then tried again. This time the door opened with a soft 'click'. She pushed with all her might against the heavy steel, and was rewarded as the door slowly swung inside. It was dark...she could barely see 5 feet in front of her. "Mulder?" she called out. No answer. Cautiously, she took a step inside, and then another. Damn, she wished she had remembered her flashlight! She drew her gun and held it out in front of her for protection. She took another step into the building. "Mulder, are you in here?" This time she practically shouted at the top of her lungs. Still no answer. Suddenly, the doors slammed shut behind her, leaving her surrounded in total darkness. She cried out in surprise and fear, whirling around to stand in the opposite direction. Before she could gather her wits about her, her gun was knocked out of her hands and sent sprawling, making a loud, echoing metallic 'clang' and scraping noise as it slid across the cement floor. Scully did scream this time, but just for a second as two arms grabbed her from behind, clamping a gloved hand across her mouth. "Scream like that again, and you'll have to wear a gag. If I can trust you to keep your mouth shut, we'll leave the gag off. Now, I'm going to slowly take my hand off of your mouth, but if you scream like that again, so help me, I'll have to shut you up." Slowly the hand was removed from her mouth. As much as she wanted to scream again, she summoned all her will and determination and did not make a sound. Besides, she thought she recognized that voice... "KRYCEK? What the hell is this all about?" Her voice sounded labored as she strained against the arms imprisoning her. The total darkness that surrounded them made it impossible for Scully to get her bearings and fight back. It was futile. Finally she stopped moving in a effort to calm herself down. She had to THINK. "Very good Agent Scully...I wondered if you'd be able to recognize my voice." Krycek realized that Scully had stopped struggling and had become still. Using the darkness to his advantage, he slid one in a pair of handcuffs around her right wrist and lead her across the room, where he secured the other cuff to some sort of pole. He pushed on her shoulders until she sat down on an old, rickety, workbench; the handcuff attached to the pole sliding down with her. With her free hand she brushed a few stray locks of hair out of her eyes. "Could you please put on some kind of light or something?" "Not yet...it's not time for light yet, Agent Scully. Soon...soon." She could hear him walking away from her, his footsteps echoing in the blackness. With all her might, she began yanking on her restraint, trying to somehow pull free. But it was no use. For the time being, she was stuck here. With Alex Krycek. She knew he was a dangerous man. He had killed Mulder's father! And he obviously had plans for Mulder himself - with her as the decoy! She KNEW that phone call to Skinner couldn't have come from Mulder! It was all falling into place...she just hoped and prayed that Mulder could see through whatever fake phone call she was sure HE had recieved this morning. "Oh, Mulder," Scully sighed, when she heard the sound of a car approaching outside of the warehouse. Intuitively, she knew it was him. She listened as the heavy metal doors swung open, and heard Mulder's voice calling to her. "Scully, you in here?" his voice echoing loudly in the old building. She decided that whatever happened next, she had to try and warn him. "Mulder, its a trap! Don't come..." She stopped shouting momentarily when she heard the door slam shut. "Mulder, watch out! Its Krycek, he's in h....." The rest of what she said was muffled as Krycek tied a gag around her mouth, pulling the ends snug. "Scully! Scully, where are you? What the hell is going ON here? KRYCEK?!" Mulder's gun was soon knocked out of his hand and scraped across the floor just as Scully's had done eariler. He felt a sharp pain in his head as Krycek hit him with a wooden board, and he fell to the floor unconscious. Scully could hear the sound of Mulder being dragged across the cement floor, and soon the dim light from an old lantern illuminated her surroundings. She could see Mulder lying on the ground, unconscious and unmoving. She struggled anew to escape from her bonds, pulling violently at the handcuff keeping her from him. Her voice strained to form words through the gag. For a moment Krycek watched her silently. Then he approached her, gun in hand. "What's the matter, Agent Scully? Did I hurt your BOYFRIEND?" He emphasized the last word, drawing it out; his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, THAT'S right...Mulder is your PARTNER." At that, Krycek barked out a harsh laugh. "Oh, PLEASE..........I hope the two of you know you're not FOOLING anybody..........Everyone knows you two have the HOTS for each other..." he said mockingly. "Now, see what happened before? You had to start screaming again, so I was forced to put the gag on. Now that loverboy here's out of commision for a little while, let's see if you can keep that sexy voice of yours down, shall we?" He rested the gun against her temple as he worked the gag loose with his other hand. "Remember, you scream, the gag is back. Got it?" Scully nodded her head, her tongue coming out to lick her dry lips. Krycek walked over to a table a few feet away, poured some liquid from a cooler in a glass and pressed it into Scully's free hand. She looked up at him warily. "Its just water," he laughed at her distrust of him. "Go ahead and drink it. If I wanted to poison you, I'd have done it a long time ago." Scully brought the glass to her nose and sniffed the contents. It didn't give off an odor at all. She lifted it to her mouth, and took a small sip. It tasted ok...besides, her mouth and throat were so dry from the gag she had to drink something. When she was finished, he took the glass from her and set it back on the table beside the cooler. Then he reached down and drug Mulder over so that he was propped up in a sitting manner on the bench Scully was sitting on, his back leaning against the wall behind it. He unlocked the handcuff that was wrapped around the pole, knotting the connecting chain around the pole, and fastening the other cuff to Mulder's limp wrist. They were now handcuffed together, with the pole in the middle and the wall behind them to keep them from moving away from the bench. Scully immediately reached over to touch Mulder's head with her free hand, feeling the lump that had formed when the board had hit him. There was no blood though...that was good news. But he was sure to have a concussion. She had to wake him up as quickly as possible. "I'm going outside for a few minutes," Krycek said. "And don't get any bright ideas, or the gag goes back on. I'm only going to be right outside, and I WILL hear you if you scream, Scully. Oh, and don't do anything I wouldn't do with sleeping beauty here..." He laughed at his own words, crossing the room and exiting through the big doors, leaving her alone with Mulder. Softly, she ran her hand through his hair again, rechecking for any bleeding. There was none...nothing but the huge lump at the back of the top of his head. She took her hand out of his hair and gently ran it down the length of his cheek, feeling the stubble lightly scraping her fingers. 'He didn't even take the time to shave' she thought. How like Mulder to put her needs before his own. She had to wake him up and make sure he was ok. "Mulder......Mulder, come on, wake up for me, will you? Mulder?" Her voice grew louder each time she called his name, and she shook him slightly on his shoulder. "Mulder? Come on......open those gorgeous eyes for me....." Slowly Mulder's eyelashes fluttered, and his eyes opened. "Scully? Scully, what the hell happened to....OW! My head!" In reaction to the pain in his head, Mulder's hands reached up to rub the huge lump. He stopped short when he realized only one hand was free. "What the HELL?! Scully, we're........handcuffed together?" "Calm down, Mulder. As much as I can figure, Alex Krycek called A.D. Skinner pretending to be you and had him call me, asking me to meet you here. I figure you got a similar phone call from someone as well. When I came into the building, Krycek shut the doors, knocked my gun out of my hands, and handcuffed me to this pole. Shortly after that, you arrived; and he knocked your gun away too. Then he hit you over the head with some kind of a board or something, and knocked you out, drug you across the floor, propped you up here and handcuffed us together." "Yeah....yeah....I remember now. I did get a phone call from someone asking me to meet you here. Your mother called me." "My MOTHER? That bastard used my MOTHER? I'll kill him myself!" As if to emphasize her point, Scully gave a hard yank on her cuffed hand, momentarily forgetting she was attached to Mulder. The force of her tug pulled him towards her suddenly, and he bumped the pole with his shoulder and chest. "Oooof!" he muttered as the wind was knocked out of him. "Scully, are you trying to kill Krycek, or ME?" "Oh, Mulder, I'm so sorry. Here, let me see." She tried to pull the collar of his t-shirt down and to the side to examine him, but it wouldn't go down far enough for her to see his injuries. "Uh....I can't quite.....see where I need to. Do you think you could lift your shirt up instead?" her voice shy, almost a whisper. "Admit it, Scully...you just want to see my chest hair and touch my pecs." "Mulder..." "Just kidding, Scully," he said around a HUGE grin. He reached to lift up his shirt, but it was impossible for him to get both sides up with only one hand. Mulder's eyes rose and met Scully's, a question posed in their hazle depths. Immediately she reached over and, with her free hand, pulled the other side of Mulder's shirt up; answering his unspoken querry. The light from the lantern was hardly bright enough for her to check him properly, but she did her best; first looking for discoloration and bruising, then lightly running her fingers over his shoulder and chest. "Will I live, doc?" Mulder asked in a suddenly husky voice. "Yes....you'll live. Just some minor black and blue marks. Nothing too bad," Scully answered, her fingers still lightly touching him. "Now your HEAD...that's a different story. No bleeding, but I think you've probably got a concussion. The light in here isn't bright enough for me to check your pupils, so just to be on the safe side, no sleeping for more than 30 minutes at a time." Just then, they heard the creaking of metal and saw Krycek enter the warehouse. He approached them quickly, carrying a gun. "I see Prince Charming is awake," he said in a sickeningly sweet tone. "Too bad your beauty sleep didn't work." "Screw you, you filthy BASTARD!" Mulder's voice vibrated with the anger flowing through him. "What kind of son of a bitch are you? What is this all about, anyway?!" "Patience, Mulder, patience," Krycek's voice was tinged with laughter. "It will all be revealed soon enough. In the meanwhile, I figured you'd appreciate my help in providing you and your GIRLFRIEND here with a lovely weekend getaway." He WAS laughing now, mocking them. "You're obviously socially retarded, or you would've gotten in her PANTS a long time ago..." His words inflamed Mulder, and he quickly stood up; hauling Scully with him. At the feel of her weighting him down, he remembered they were shackled together. Realizing there was nothing he could do with Scully bound to his left arm, he slowly lowered himself and her to sit on the bench again. He could NOT let Alex Krycek get his goat, or he'd be no good to himself OR Scully. "Well, Alex, it seems like the only pants YOU'VE gotten into lately, belong to that cigarette smoking worm...tell me, does he make you come when he shoves it up your ASS?" Krycek leveled his gun so the barrel was trained directly at Mulder's right temple. He cocked it slowly, the soft sound echoing in the silence. He moved around so that he could reach Scully, and slowly ran his hand down across her cheek, along her neck, and over her collarbone; coming to rest on her left breast. His fingers squeezed the nipple VERY hard, and she cried out in pain. "That's right, DANA...I'll bet I could make you HOWL...that's what you need...a REAL man..." Scully batted Krycek's offending hand away from her body and covered both breasts with her free arm. Mulder stood up slowly so as not to drag Scully with him this time, and tried to knock the gun of out Krycek's hand. Stepping back, Krycek laughed in Mulder's face. "Now, now, Mulder...you wouldn't want to deny your PARTNER the orgasm of her LIFE, would you?" "You touch her again, you cock-sucking son-of-a-bitch, and I'll cut off your OTHER arm myself!" Mulder roared, and positioned himself as close to Scully as he could. She had never seen him look so........dangerous. Anger seeped from his very soul, reaching out to the man in front of them. Krycek must have felt it, too; because he backed away and walked swiftly over to the table, pouring them both a drink of water from the cooler. He set the glasses on the floor beside their feet. "I have to go out again, but rest assured I'll be able to hear you if you scream. If you do, I'll gag you BOTH!" And with that, he was gone again. "Mulder...its all right....I'm fine..." "No, Scully, its NOT allright! That bastard TOUCHED you!" Mulder's anger was still seething very close to the surface. His nostrils were flairing with it. "I swear...if he ever comes near you again, I will KILL him with my bare hands!" Scully stood up slowly and placed her free hand gently on Mulder's right forearm, then slid it across his chest and layed it palm down across his heart. She could feel it beating at an accelerated speed due to his anger, but the rythem of it still calmed her. She knew they had to think of a way to get out of here, but right now all she could think about was the way Mulder had reacted to Alex Krycek's words. The reaction he had had was distinctly NOT partner-like. Oh, she knew partners were supposed to defend and protect each other to the death if it came to that. But this...this was something different. Almost like......jealousy? No....no. Why would Mulder be jealous if another man was interested in her sexually? Albeit, the man WAS Krycek, but still. Ever since they had almost kissed in Mulder's hallway, before that damn bee had stung her; something had changed between them. They didn't talk about it, but there was something THERE that hadn't been before. Like electric currents passing between them when their eyes met. And when he placed his hand on the small of her back like he so often did, it was like a magnet to steel. Mulder had reacted SO violently to the other man's actions and what he had said to her... "......you didn't hear a word I just said, did you Scully?" "What? Uh, no....what was that again?" she asked sheepishly. She had been so lost in her own thoughts of Mulder's 'jealousy' that she had no idea what he had been talking about. "I said, we've got to find a way to get out of here. I don't know what Krycek's plans are, but I'm not planning to stick around and find out. You with me Scully?" "Mulder, how do you plan on getting ANYWHERE with these damn handcuffs on and wrapped around this pole the way they are? I really don't think we have any other choice but to remain here for the time being. Maybe Skinner will look into things and come over here looking for us. He did seem to think the whole thing was rather odd. In the meanwhile, lets sit down and rest until our GRACIOUS host comes back. Here...drink your water." She reached down and picked up his glass, handing it to him; then picked up her own. When they drank the contents, they leaned down and placed the glasses back on the floor next to the bench. She could tell Mulder was NOT going to be content sitting around waiting to be rescued. He might not have been able to get up and walk around physically; but mentally, he was pacing. Thinking. "I think I heard a car drive away when he left. That means we're alone here, right? I say we scream. There's no WAY he can hear us if he went somewhere in a car! Someone's bound to hear us....come on Scully! Let's try it..." "No way Mulder! I HAD that gag on before...I'm NOT wearing it again!" Something like pain passed over Mulder's face, and he leaned back against the wall behind him. "Yeah, I guess you're right, Scully. Besides, my head is POUNDING. I think a short rest is in order. Wake me up when he gets back. Right away, ok? I don't trust him where you're concerned." "Right away, Mulder," she reassured him. Scully noticed that it didn't take long for Mulder to fall to sleep. She wondered if it had something to do with his head injury. Well, if Krycek wasn't back within 30 minutes, she would wake Mulder up anyway; just to make sure everything was allright. She leaned back against the wall herself, closing her eyes and dozing. The next few hours were spent much the same way, with Scully waking Mulder every half hour to make sure he was ok. By now it was approaching 3:00P.M. and the both of them were getting pretty hungry. "What is he trying to do, starve us to death?" Mulder asked in a defeated tone. "That's not Alex Krycek's style, Mulder. He's MUCH more dramatic than that." Scully slowly rose to her feet and stretched, bringing her knees up in front of her one at a time, then bending over as if to touch her toes. Her muscles were stiff from being in the same position so long, so she drew the last stretch out for a little. As she rose back up and turned around, she caught Mulder's eyes staring at her behind. He quickly raised his eyes to hers, and she gave him the 'eyebrow'. He shrugged, and grinned. "Hey, I told you I think its remotely plausable that someone might think you're hot..." "Someone, huh?" "Yeah, someone..." he sounded like THIS conversation was hitting a little too close to home. He tried changing the subject. "So Scully, nice weather we've been having lately..." She wasn't having it. "What about YOU, Mulder? Do YOU think I'm.....hot?" Why did her voice suddenly sound like sandpaper? What the hell did she say THAT for? "Nevermind, Mulder....you don't have to answer...." "No, Scully," Mulder interrupted her, "I WANT to answer you." Mulder stood up and faced her, absently brushing a stray lock of her hair off her forhead. He gazed deep into her blue eyes, made almost green in the dim light of the lantern. Slowly, almost hesitantly, he lifted his free hand and cupped her cheek; his thumb lightly rubbing across her lower lip. When he spoke, his voice was almost a whisper. "Yes, Scully, I DO think you're hot." Lowering his head, he closed the small gap between them and joined his lips to hers. He kissed her very gently at first, lips just barely making contact. But soon it wasn't enough, and his tongue joined in, swiping across her lips; as if asking entrance to her mouth. She sighed and parted them, welcoming him in...greeting him with her own tongue. Their free hands became tangled in each other's hair, Scully remembering to avoid his injury. Lost in the kiss as they were, they didn't hear the grind of the metal doors opening, or Alex's footsteps as he approached them. "Well, well, well.....what do we have here? A little party going on, eh?" Mulder and Scully broke apart as if someone had shocked them. They looked at their captor with surprise, anger, and the passion still coursing through their veins. "I take it back, Mulder....maybe you aren't socially retarded after all. Maybe you've been DOIN' your little red-headed SLUT all along..." Mulder lunged at Krycek, knocking Scully down and against the wall in the process. She bumped her arm off of the pole, and the back of her shoulder against the wall. She cried out in surprise and pain. "Oh, God, Scully....I'm sorry! Are you allright? Here, let me see..." "I'm fine, Mulder. Really." When Krycek stopped laughing, he handed them both paper bags. "Sorry, but fast food's the only thing I have time for. Hope you like your burgers with everything." He walked over to the table where the lantern and cooler still sat; producing a chair from the surrounding shadows and sitting down to eat his own meal. Mulder and Scully were ravenous, and it didn't take long for everyone to finish eating. Alex poured them another drink from the cooler and reached down to gather their empty bags. Reaching back behind the table, he placed a full lantern on the table and lit it; putting out the other one, which was almost out of oil. Then he moved the cooler and glasses, setting them on the floor beside the left leg of the bench. "I'll be right outside. In just a few short hours everything's going to go down. Until then, ENJOY your time together," Krycek told them in a tone smothered with sarcasm,"it may be your LAST time together." He walked half way across the room, then turned and asked one final question. "So Mulder, is your precious WHORE really a redhead?" Mulder's hand moved as fast as lightening as he reached down and grabbed one of the glasses, throwing it at Krycek's head. It narrowly missed its target, and shattered as it hit the cement floor about 20 feet away. Alex merely laughed harder as he spun on his heel and made his way to the doors once again. Scully stopped him in his tracks. "WAIT! What if we have to........go to the.......bathroom?" She was blushing so hard, her face was practically the same color as her hair. "You two are pretty smart. I'm sure you'll figure something out..." And he was gone again. They sat there in silence for a minute or two. Then, "Uh.....Scully? Do you have to....uh.....do you have to.....go?" his voice was cracking worse than it did when he was a teenager. He shifted around uncomfortably on the bench. "Cause......I kinda do..." "Oh...well....." "That's ok Scully, I can hold it..." "Mulder, don't be rediculous. Just because we're in this......situation......doesn't mean our bodily functions are going to wait until we get home. Only.......what are we talking about here.........number one or number two?" Despite himself and the situation, he HAD to laugh at that. "Number one." "Good. Me too, actually. An ideas as to how we approach this?" Again they sat there in silence for a minute or two. Finally Mulder replied. "Well Scully, as I see it, we've got pretty limited options, here. We're both adults. We'll just have to turn our backs while the other one is......doing their duty. Then when we're finished, we'll wash it away with a little water from the cooler." That cracked her up. "Doing our DUTY? Mulder, did you have a DOG when you were younger, by any chance?" "As a matter of fact, I did, Scully. A yellow lab. His name was Buster. Samantha named him." His voice was tinged with sadness. "But the funny thing is, he was always doing HIS duty on my bedroom rug!" "Poor Mulder." Amazingly, she was able to say it with a straight face. "Well...since you brought it up....you go first." She turned around and stared at the darkness spread out before her, while behind her she felt him jiggle around a bit, then heard a faint 'zip', followed by a sound that reminded her of a water fountain. She felt Mulder moving around, jostling her right arm a little. Finally, he was still. "Your turn, Scully," he said. "I'll just stay facing this way until your done." Scully opened her snap and slid down her zipper with her free hand easily enough, but getting her clothing down past her knees was another matter altogether. She tugged at first one side, then the other; but it was useless. She knew what she had to do.........she had to ask Mulder to help her pull her pants down. And not ONLY her pants, but her underwear, too. Lucky Mulder! All he had to do was unzip and whip it out! Ah, the joys of being a woman... "Um, Mulder?" "Yeah?" "Um......I seem to......need a little help here. I need you to.... use your free hand to............help me... pull my pants down." She stamered, blushing furiously from her head to her feet. "I can't get them down with only one hand." Mulder was quiet for a second, then he turned around to face her. "Ok, Scully...just guide my hand to the right spot, and I'll keep my eyes shut. No looking. I promise...no checking to see if you really ARE a redhead." He winked at her. "Ready?" Their eyes met and held. "Ready," she echoed him softly. He closed his eyes, and she guided his right hand to her left hip. He felt around until he found the waistband of her jeans, and hooked his thumb down inside, catching her underwear along the way. Between the both of them, they managed to shove her clothing down until both jeans and underwear were tangled around her ankles. She glanced up at Mulder's eyes and true to his word, they were still closed. Quickly she squatted and relieved herself. "Ok, Mulder....I'm ready to pull them up again." They managed pretty smoothly until they got to her knees, her underwear tangling like a rubberband ; the more they pulled, the more tangled they became. Scully sighed heavily and wished she could melt into the ground beneath her. "Scully, I think it would work better if your knees were straight instead of bent." Slowly she straightened until she was almost upright. She looked down at Mulder, squatting in front of her; his eyes closed, his head about a half a foot away from the thatch of curls that covered her femininity. She watched as he inhaled deeply; and instinctively knew he was smelling her. SMELLING her. She felt an almost desperate urge to bury her fingers in his hair and urge his mouth over to TASTE her, too. He licked his lips and she watched his tongue, feeling the area between her legs catch fire. Suddenly she knew what had been THERE between them since that day in Mulder's hallway. Desire. Longing. And emotions so powerful and raw she was afraid to name them. He kept his eyes closed, but his hand untangled itself from her underwear and began rubbing the back of her left calf. Slowly, tenderly, he brought his lips down to kiss her leg slightly above the knee, right above the spot where her underwear still remained. When she felt his tongue join in, she released a deep breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Finally Mulder stopped, and rested his forehead against her thigh; the sound of their labored breathing echoing loudly in the huge warehouse. "Mulder..." "Come on Scully," Mulder said, regret clear in his voice, "we've got to get your pants pulled up before Krycek comes back." "Yes......right........we do." Scully's voice sounded like she had just run a marathon. Carefully, so as not to get them tangled up again, they slowly worked to pull her jeans and underwear up where they belong, Mulder even managing to get them zippered and snapped with one hand. When he was finished, he opened his eyes and grabbed the cooler, both managing to pour water where it was needed. "Scully, I've been thinking about what Krycek said before. About this maybe being our LAST time together..." "I know, that's been crossing my mind alot since he said it." "I wonder what's going to happen? What the hell we're getting mixed up in NOW?" "Mulder, what if this really IS our last time together?" "Come on, Scully, do you REALLY believe that?" "Before Antarctica, I would have said 'No' immediately. Now, well...." insecurity was clearly written in her furrowed brow. "Hey, I saved you, didn't I? I'll get us outta this, Scully..." Mulder talked a good game, but they both knew actions spoke louder than words. And what kind of action could either one of them take handcuffed together the way they were? Krycek had said it would all go down in a few hours. Good. Neither one of them was feeling very patient right now. The sooner this was over, the better. Still......Mulder had always learned that when life hands you a bunch of lemons, you make lemonade... "Hey, that t-shirt you're wearing looks REALLY familar there, Scully." Uh oh, she was busted! Think fast Dana..."What, this old thing? I found it lying around the appartment the other day..." "Yeah, MY appartment! Come on Scully, that's one of mine, and you know it. Now, the REAL question is, WHY would you want to wear one of MY ratty old t-shirts when you have all of those smart looking suits you wear to work every day?" "In case you haven't checked the calendar, Mulder, today is SATURDAY. The weekend? No work today?" she'd never admit this to him, but she kinda liked it when he teased her. She kinda liked it a lot... "And besides that, YOUR ratty old t-shirt is the only thing I could find to match MY ratty old jeans with the hole in the knee." She raised her knee up and displayed the hole for him to see. Before she knew what he was about, he snaked his fingers inside it and began to tickle her knee. Between laughing, gasping for breath, and wrestling around; they wound up laying on the bench, with Scully on top of Mulder. The mood shifted from funny to something all together different. They looked at each other, and there IT was; that THING was flowing between them once more. It reached out from his soul to hers, through her eyes to his. Gently, his hand cupped the back of her head and lowered her lips to his own. Their mouths opened immediately; tongues sliding, teeth nipping, lips melding. Mulder's free hand roamed over Scully's back; first tangling in her hair, then moving down to cup her buttock, grinding her against the sudden hardness in his jeans. She parted her thighs, so that her legs straddled his hips; settling her exactly where they both wanted her. When she moved her hips, riding him, they moaned their pleasure into each other's mouths. Mulder moved his hand from her buttock to her breast, cupping the weight in his palm, then circling the hardened nipple with his fingers. She sucked her breath in and rode him faster. "Oh, God, Scully.....wait, wait......slow down a little......" he could barely get the words out. Slow down? As far as she was concerned, they were going TOO slow! "Mulder, if this really IS the last time we're together, I want to..." she wanted to what? she thought to herself. 'Make up for lost time' came to mind. So did 'Screw Mulder's brains out!' So did 'Tell Mulder how I feel.' She stopped moving and stared down at him; a hundred emotions dancing across her face. If this really WAS it, she HAD to tell him. "Mulder....there's something I have to tell you." "I know, Scully......I've always known..." he reached to pull her head down again. She resisted the gentle urging of his hand in her hair. "No, Mulder....let me say this. When I had my cancer, and again right after we came home from Antarctica, I did a LOT of thinking; about you, about me, about.....us. I asked myself why. Why I traveled around the country staying in the most God-forsaken places, at the motels from hell; why I battled flukemen, little green men, and mutants of every shape and size; why I stayed with the x-files instead of having a nice, calm medical career; why I stayed IN almost every weekend with YOU doing paperwork instead of dating that cute guy from the lab who's always asking me for my phone number..." "WHAT guy from the lab?" Mulder interrupted, and this time she was SURE it was jealously she had heard. "Oh, you know, that Joe what's-his-name.....Anyhow, Mulder, my point is; I kept coming to the same answer every time I asked myself all of those questions. Mulder......I........I love you." She said it so softly, but he heard it with his heart. At her words, his heart sped out of control, threatening to burst right out of his chest; and his eyes were wet with unshed tears. He knew that the time had come for him to reveal his true feelings as well. "Scully, I meant what I said in my hallway that day. You DO make me honest. You DO make me a whole person. And I CAN'T do any of it without you....I WON'T do it without you. You are my world, Scully, and I love you." At his words, tears fell from her eyes; dripping down her cheeks and landing on his face and neck; mingling with his own tears. They held each other tightly and let the release of tears wash over them. After a few moments, they looked at each other and smiled tremulous smiles; each reaching out to wipe the other's tears away. Their lips drew together, as they gave each other physical proof of the love they had so recently confessed. The kisses they shared this time were not wild and frenzied; but gentle and tender, although no less passionate. They froze when they heard a car pull up outside. Quickly they drew apart and managed to change positions, sitting up side by side. They were quiet, both straining to hear anything they could. Men. Talking. One Krycek. The other was a voice they didn't recognize. The voices got louder as the men approaced the doors, then stopped abruptly when they opened. Krycek entered the warehouse, and quickly came over to them, gun in hand; followed by the alien bounty hunter. Between the two of them, Mulder and Scully were uncuffed and then recuffed; each in a separate pair of handcuffs. "I hope you said your goodbyes when you had the chance," Krycek sniveled out. He had Scully, while the bounty hunter had Mulder. They struggled against their captors uselessly. "Tell me Mulder, did she SUCK it for you one more time? They say redheads LOVE to give blowjobs..." he laughed hysterically at his own sick humor. This time Mulder kept his cool. "As a matter of fact, what happened between us while you were gone was SO good, it brought tears to my eyes." Put THAT in your cigarette and smoke it, Alex! Besides, it was TRUE! "There's to be an exchange made. Mulder goes with him," he motioned to the bounty hunter,"and they give us information concerning the black oil, the virus, and the vaccine." "What about Scully?" Mulder asked. "How does SHE fit into all of this?" "She doesn't. She's going to go for a little ride with me." Mulder struggled with all of his might, but the larger 'man' was too much for him. He was lead to the back of the warehouse where another set of heavy metal doors was located. Scully was taken in the opposite direction and out of the doors they had used to enter the building. She could see both her and Mulder's cars; and another car parked in front of theirs. As Krycek ushered her towards it, she heard a sound like a cheap firecracker that kids light on the fourth of July. She recognized it as gunfire, and immediately made her body go limp and slide to the ground. She heard more rounds of bullets, this time coming from the back of the warehouse. She prayed Mulder was allright! When she dared to move her head, she glanced sideways and saw blood pouring from a gaping hole in Alex Krycek's chest. He was lying motionless on the ground. "Agent Scully, are you all right?" A familiar male voice was asking her from behind. Slowly she turned herself around and sat up. A.D. Skinner was looking at her as if she was made of fine porceline and just might break. "I'm fine, sir. But what about Agent Mulder? They had him around the back!" "He's fine Scully. Look, why don't you ask him yourself?" Skinner looked up at Mulder as he rounded the side of the building. "Here he comes now." Mulder took one look at Scully on the ground and ran to her, scooping her up in his arms. "Are you ok? And don't give me that 'I'm fine, Mulder' line that you always give me..." He held her tightly to his chest for a moment, her arms wrapping around his neck. "Mulder, everyone's looking at us. Maybe you'd better put me down now?" she asked. Carefully he set her down on her feet, but kept a protective arm around her shoulders. Skinner watched all this with barely concealed interest. He had suspected these two were more than just partners for a while now; especially since Mulder went all the way to that frozen hell to rescue her. Whatever THING it was that they had between them had changed. They seemed, different. Closer. Oh, what the hell did he know? He was just glad they were alive. "Well, Agents....why don't you two go home and get some rest? I'm ordering you to take one week to yourselves. Mulder, if I catch your sorry ass anywhere NEAR that basement..." "Don't worry sir, I'll make sure he doesn't go to work for a week, even if I have to watch over him EVERY second....day AND night." She glanced up at Mulder who was doing his best to look horrified. Too bad it came off as looking smug. And sexy as hell. "Yeah, don't worry, sir, SHE'LL keep me in line. She's good at that, you know." "No, Agent, I'm afraid I wouldn't know." Skinner had to fight hard to keep the laughter out of his voice and the smile off of his face. "We'll get everything squared away about this when you return to work. See you in one week, agents." Skinner turned and walked over to the ambulance where they were loading Alex Krycek to be transported to the hospital. Then he turned around again. "By the way, how was he able to hold the two of you captive in there?" "He, uh.....he had us......handcuffed, together." Mulder's voice made the words sound like a caress. Skinner looked at them, a blush creeping up his neck to the top of his balding head. "Yes, well..........I'm just glad it all worked out. By the way, Mulder, the man who left the building with you......just, disappeared. We have a team searching the surrounding wooded area behind the warehouse..." "I doubt you'll find anything. But let us know if you do." "I will. Now, GOODNIGHT, agents. See you next week." ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------- Scully's car jostled slightly as it hit a pothole, rousing Mulder from the nap he had been taking since they left the old brewery. They had decided to take her car and go to her place, since it was closest; Skinner volunteering to return Mulder's car to his home. She glanced over at him, smiling as he straightened up in his seat. She reached over and took her hand in his, linking their fingers together. "How are you feeling? Any headache? You really should've let those EMT's take a look at that lump, Mulder." "It hardly even hurts at all anymore, Scully. Besides, I get to go HOME with my doctor." "Uh, huh....well, when we get home, your doctor is going to check you thoroughly from head to toe." She worked hard to keep the corners of her mouth from turning upwards. "Seriously, Mulder.......we've both been through a LOT today. And Mulder, I want you to know, I meant EVERYTHING I said back in that warehouse. Everything." "I know, Scully.......I love you, too." He brought their clasped hands up to his mouth and kissed her fingers, then lowered them to rest on his thigh. They sat in silence for the next 5 miles or so, their fingers still laced together. She looked at Mulder from the corner of her eye, and noticed a small smile playing across his lips and spreading up into his eyes. "What? What are you thinking about?" she wanted to know. "You'd probably get mad at me if I told you." "I promise I won't. Now, tell me..." "Well, ok......I was thinking about........your underwear." She wasn't expecting THAT answer! "My underwear? What about my underwear, Mulder?" "I never expected YOU to wear red silk bikinis, that's all.................what?" he asked at the incredulous look she gave him. "You weren't supposed to peek! You cheat! Mulder, you looked at my underwear after you promised to keep your eyes closed! Well, so much for not checking to see if I was really a redhead..." Mulder suddenly had his panic face on.......SHIT! Why did he have to say THAT? "Are you...........angry at me, Scully?" he was almost afraid to know. She thought about it for a minute. "No, I guess not. So, what kind of underwear DID you expect me to be wearing? Plain white briefs like my grandma Millie?" Scully pulled the car in front of her house. They were silent until they reached her appartment door. Then Mulder got a wicked gleam in his eyes. "So, is it true, Scully?" "Is what true, Mulder?" "Do redheads REALLY love to give blowjobs?" He was wearing the most expectant look she had ever seen on his face. It made her want to slap him silly. Either that, or give him a blowjob... She opened the appartment door, stepped inside, and turned to face Mulder as he entered and closed the door behind him. "I don't know, Mulder," she said teasingly, " Why don't you find a REAL redhead to ask..." ------------------End------------------------------------