Closer by Atticus             
helen@heroforr.demon.co.uk

*Please Archive at Gossamer, anywhere else ask me first*

Classification: SR & a little H.

Rating: R for some bad language and sexual imagery.

Spoilers: Nope.

Keywords: Mulder/Scully Romance. Slight Angst.  

Summary:  Two agents who are now lovers...on a stakeout. You do the math ;)

Disclaimer:  M&S + X-Files = Chris Carter/1013/Fox and most importantly
GA & DD.  Not me. I just adore them. Ca va? :) No infringement intended.

"Closer" is by Nine Inch Nails and I don't mean to tread on any toes by
including some of the lyrics here.  I managed to get it into an MSR - yay!

"Every little thing she does is magic" is by The Police, and I don't want
to get on the wrong side of them... ;P

Author's Comments: This is set in the 'Worth the Wait' universe, and
although there is a small reference to WtW you don't have to read it to
make sense of this.  However, if you haven't read the 'Worth the Waits',
they're available at Gossamer! *grins*  I hope you enjoy this story, it
was just something I wanted to have fun with.  Please let me know what you
think, feedback is food and drink to a writer <g> especially nice feedback
*hopeful smile*  Thanks for reading.

**************************************
Closer by Atticus


     Mulder was watching the sun falling in the sky.  Beautiful at any
time, but in these depressing circumstances the spectacle was somewhat
diminished for him.

     It was the cruellest luck that he should be stuck on a lonely road,
on a stakeout that was not looking at all productive, with the only thing
he really wanted to do the one thing he wasn't allowed to.  He turned to
look at the person to whom he wanted to do the thing that wasn't allowed...

     Mistake.
 
     Huge Mistake.

     The sight of Scully just made it all ten times worse.  God, how he
wanted her.  That single thought shot from his brain to his groin in a
split second.  His breathing picking up, he let himself savour her profile
for a few more moments before he lowered his gaze.  Masking a frustrated
groan with a yawn, he suddenly felt her watching him.  He fidgeted under
her scrutiny, and sensed the ever present connection between them upping a
notch.  <Stop looking at me, Scully... please...> Her gaze was warming,
both melting and arousing him.  He felt his erection grow with dismay.
<All dressed up and nowhere to go>

     Glumly he studied his fingernails in the fading light.  If he could
just concentrate on something else... <and if she would stop the hell
looking at me!>  He began to chew on a nail.

    'Mulder!'

     With a deep sigh he slowly met Scully's sharp eyes.  <Here we go...>

    'I'm sorry but you know I've gotta do something with my hands,
Scully!'  He lowered his voice, muttering. 'Maybe if you quit staring at
me I'd be doin' better...'

     Scully sighed as she sensed them plunging into a well-worn discussion.
  
    'I wasn't...'staring'...'

     Mulder glanced at her, his eyebrows raised.

    'Not exactly...' She muttered. Then. 'Oh, whatever!'

     His lips twitched up, until she shot him a look and continued.  'I
appreciate how you feel, Mulder, but you know it sets me on edge when you
do that... and yet every time, _every time_ you  persist in doing it!'

     He rolled his eyes.

    'Okay, Scully! Jeez, lighten up!'

     It would be fair to say that stakeouts had become far more
complicated affairs now they were lovers.

     Mulder placed his hands ceremoniously in his lap.

    'Is that better?!'

     She followed his gaze to his hands and took in his burgeoning
hard-on.  He caught the quick spark of desire in her face before her jaw
muscles clenched.

    'Oh, _much_ better.' She snapped, hastily tearing her eyes away.

    'I can't help it, Scully...' He protested to the back of her head as
she stared fixedly out of the window.

    'It's not as if I'm _doing_ anything to arouse you.'  She thought
aloud.

     Mulder's eyes widened,

    'Oh come on!  That's not fair... you were STARING!  And besides...' 
He added, his tone softening a touch. 'You don't have to.'

     Scully bit back her respite about the staring thing and turned back
to him.  

    'I affect you _that_ much?'

     Holding their eye contact intently he reached over and smoothed the
hair away from her cheek.  She felt her skin tingling at the contact.

    'In the words of Sting, Scully... "Every little thing you do is magic.
Every little thing just turns me on."'

     She laughed - more out of surprise than anything.

    'Oh, please!'

     Mulder leant back in his seat and shrugged.

    'He speaka the truth.'
  
    'You're crazy!' She shook her head, smiling.

     She knew deep down he felt the same way about her she did about
him... it was just nice to actually hear it confirmed sometimes. <Very
nice> 'I'm sorry I snapped at you.  This isn't easy for me either.'

    'Can I have some validation of that?'  He asked, only half-joking.

     She let out a long breath, her eyes wandering to his lap.

    'Don't, Mulder... I'm hot enough already...'

     He swallowed, letting that information sink in.  

    'Really...?'

     A glance at her.

    <are you wet, Scully?  are you wet for me?>

     She shifted in her seat, not looking at him.

    'Yes, Okay? ...now let's talk about something else.'

    <easy... talk about something else... think about something else...
easy... if you're dead from the waist down...>

     Mulder leaned forward onto the steering wheel, resisting (only just)
the urge to bang his head on it.

    'Have I mentioned at all how much I hate this, Scully?'  He said from
beneath his arms.

    'Only a few thousand times...'

     He gripped the wheel tight enough to make his knuckles turn white,
then sat back heavily with a groan.  He closed his eyes and murmured 
softly,

    'This is a fucking nightmare...'

    Scully reached for his hand and held it tightly, stroking the back
with her thumb.

    'I know.'  She wanted to say that they'd be able to be together soon,
but there was no guarantee...  Even though there hadn't been any sign of
movement from the house they were watching they still had a couple of
hours left on their shift.  Anything could happen.  

     As she continued to caress his hand Mulder's eyes opened. In them she
saw many emotions; gratitude, frustration, desire... but mostly love.  The
look he was giving her made something move and swell inside her like a
blossoming bud opening in the sun.  She realised if one of them didn't
stop this soon she would kiss him. It didn't take a degree in psychology
to work out where that particular action would lead...

     Communicating silently with him through their eye contact she
gradually pulled away.  He dropped his head, rubbing his chin tensely. 
Scully thought for a second, then began to wind down the window on her
side.  Maybe a little fresh air would do them both some good.

     Mulder stretched and breathed deeply.  He was hovering on the edge of
common sense; beyond that the point where rules and regulations ceased to
exist.  He was going to have to be damn strong to get through this.  They
had never broken the 'professional' rule so far, not strictly anyway. Did
an encounter at an FBI evening count?  <'ever done it in a rest-room,
Scully?'>  He pushed the vivid recollection away.  <not tonight, pal. get
some control back here>

     He turned on the radio.  Scully gave him a small smile.  <Great
idea.> He smiled back. <No problem.>  They could handle this.

     Heavy metal blared out, shattering the calm, and they hoped, the
tension too.  Mulder adjusted the volume slightly.  Perfect.  Maybe he'd
be able to exorcise some of his pent-up emotions through the slamming beat
of the music.  

     He glanced at Scully who, from her expression, appeared to be
undergoing some agonizingly painful torture.  He moved his head to the
rhythm of the song, and raised his eyebrows.  Scully gave him a sardonic
look, but didn't tell him to change the station.  

    <she understands>

     Mulder concentrated on the song... the lead vocal bit into his
consciousness like the blade of a hacksaw.  

    "You let me _violate_ you.

     You let me _desecrate_ you.

     You let me _penetrate_ you."

    <oh... shit>  He gulped.  Scully was squirming.  He hesitated, and
still the song went on.

    "Help me... I broke apart my insides.

     Help me... I've got no soul to sell.

     Help me... The only thing that works for me...
       
     Something clicked inside Mulder's brain, the cliched lightbulb went
*ping*  He knew this song... wait a second... <OH... NO...>  Realisation
set in but it was too late...

     Help me get away from myself...

     I want to _fuck_ you like an ani-"

     The growling voice was cut off abruptly.  Mulder let out the long
breath he had been holding in and turned his head in time to see Scully,
her face flushed, drawing a shaky hand back from the radio.  Images of her
writhing underneath him flashed through his brain like wildfire, each one
sparking off the next; growing in intensity.

     She was breathing rapidly but trying hard not to show it, her chest
rising and falling softly.  Cursing his weakness, but at the same time
being unable and unwilling to resist he slowly inched a hand towards her
legs.  Was it fortunate she was wearing a pant-suit today?  He couldn't
think about that.

     He stole a look at Scully, her face turned away from him, but her
whole body stiff with tension and anticipation.  He paused. His fingers a
millimetre away from her thigh... this was sweet agony.  Their combined
breathing a harsh, rasping harmony now.

     Mulder ran a single finger up the back of her thigh, making her
shiver, but otherwise she remained still.  Was this possible?  If they
pretended this wasn't happening it wasn't?  His penis stiffened further. 
He could live with that...

     In one swift but awkward movement he pushed his hand between her
legs. She jerked and he heard her swallow hard.  He eased her thighs
apart, leaning over as far as he could in his seat.  Scully grabbed his
hand tightly, not pushing him away but moving his hand flush against her.
Shuddering, her hips rose to meet the friction.  Mulder shifted in his
seat trying to get a better angle. In response Scully let out a breathless
sound half-way between a moan and a cry.

     His self control snapped totally with that and both of his hands
found their way to her face, forcing her to look at him. So much for
pretence... Her eyes were swirling pools of emotion, the pupils dilated
and fixed on his mouth.  Mulder lowered his head, letting his lips touch
her parted ones for just a second.  He held her face tightly, and leaned
forward again, this time his mouth opening fully.  Scully lifted her arms
and moved them to the back of his head, almost unbalancing them.  Their
lips fused repeatedly as they feasted on each other's mouths, tongues
slipping and sliding eagerly at counterpoint.  

     Mulder dragged his lips lower to her neck, sucking and licking at the
sensitive skin there.  Scully murmured her pleasure, her fingers flexing
in his silky hair.  Her heavy lids rose slightly, as she sought his
earlobe with her mouth, then they suddenly flashed open all the way.  

    'Mulder...'

     He lifted his head, his expression dreamy, eyes unfocused,
  
    'Hmmmm?'  He tried to kiss her again.

     She avoided his lips,

    'MULDER!!'

     He got the message.  'What?!'

    'The house... he's...'  She was still staring through the windscreen.

    'What house?'  Mulder interjected.  Scully turned to him, exasperated.

    'The house we're _supposed_ to be watching?!'

     He turned back to the window with her, following her eye line.

    'Ah, SHIT...'

     The suspect was clearly on the move.  Across the street a car engine
revved into life.

    'Shit, shit...'  Mulder berated himself, as he looked for the car
keys.  Scully was adjusting her clothes and trying to return to
professional mode.

    'Come on, Mulder!'

    'I can't find the damn keys!'

     Scully's voice rose,

    'They were in the accelerator!'

    'Well if they were they aren't now, Scully!'  

     Mulder quickly searched around the space between the seats and on the
floor, suddenly he sighed,

    'Got 'em... they must have fallen when we...'  He trailed off
sheepishly as he sat up.

     Scully nodded impatiently,

    'Alright, okay... at least we have them now...'  She secured her
seatbelt. 'Let's go, for God's sake.'

     Mulder started the engine and got the car into gear. <why the hell
did the jerk have to go out now?!  We've been sitting here forever!>  He
drove as fast as he dared, not wanting to arouse suspicion.

    'Do you see the car?'  His eyes flicked along the road as he drove.

     Scully frowned,

    'No...' Then. 'Yes!  There...'  She pointed it out.  Mulder dropped
back to a safe distance, and they began to tail the suspect's vehicle.

    'Phew...'  He let out a breath.  'Lucky we caught him.'

    'Lucky's the word. We shouldn't have been-'

    'Fooling around?' Mulder supplied, with a smirk.

    'I'm glad you find this amusing, Mulder.'

    'Well, what else do you want me to say?' He retorted. 'We were fooling
around.'

     She licked her lips, and sighed,

    'Exactly...'

     He glanced at her keeping one eye on the other car.

    'What does that mean?'

    'Let's just drop it shall we?'

     He frowned, knowing the look on her face,

    'No... tell me.'

    'Watch the road.'

     He looked back just in time to see the car they were tailing take a
left turn.

    'We let our emotions control us, Mulder. We can't let that happen at
work.'

       He sighed,

    'It's not as if we _did_ anything.'

    'That's hardly the point.'

     Mulder had to admit that it probably wasn't, they most likely would
have gone a lot further if they hadn't been interrupted. <maybe even into
the back of the car>  He became aware of his arousal once more -
previously forgotten in the rush... oh, well.  He definitely wouldn't be
taking care of that for a while.

    'So we won't let it happen again.'

     They shared a searching look.  
 
    'Do you honestly believe we can-'  Scully began.

     Mulder stopped her.

    'Don't, Okay?'  His voice lowered. 'We're only human, Scully.'

     She thought his words over, nodding slowly.

    'We take one day at a time.'

     He smiled at her warmly.

    'Right.'  His expression grew serious.  'But I'm not giving you up,
Scully, so don't ask me to.'

     She replied firmly,

    'I would never-' She paused. 'I couldn't give you up either, you know
that.'  He gave her the lopsided smile she adored. Then it faded.

    'The car's pulled over...'  

     She looked to the road.  Sure enough the vehicle had stopped... at an
24-hr convenience store.

    'I don't believe this!'  Mulder slammed his palm on the steering
wheel.  'We're giving ourselves heart attacks and the guy's off to get
bagels and elastoplast.'

     Scully bit her lip and her eyes flicked from the store to Mulder's
incredulous face.  She suddenly burst into laughter and after a moment
Mulder found himself joining her.

    'So _now_ you see the funny side.'  He teased, after they had
recovered.  'Typical.'

     Scully leaned over to Mulder,

    'Shhhh, come here.'  She smoothed his hair down. 'You don't want to go
around looking like you've been fondled do you?'

    'Oh, I don't know...'  He waggled his eyebrows.  She rolled her eyes
at him and sat back in her seat.

    'So, now we just wait.'

     Mulder shrugged,

    'Yeah. Until the guy's filled up on tootsie rolls.'
 
     They grinned.

    'And then...'  Scully made her voice low and seductive. 'I'm gonna
take you home and have my way with you.'

      He exaggerated a moan.  'You promise?'

    'Promise.'

      They smiled as they saw the suspect head out of the store and back
to his car.  It looked as if that promise might be fulfiled sooner rather
than later.  But whatever happened tonight they couldn't be much closer
than they already were... and if the Consortium and everyone else against
them couldn't change that, no measly stakeout was ever going to manage it. 


*The End*