The Adventures of Moose and Squirrel in Washington, DC By Heather Eddy (mulderxphile@yahoo.com) and Brandy Sietz (bmcrls@yahoo.com) Date: May 13, 2000 Category: MSR, H, A Rating: Part 1 - PG-13 for language; Part 2 - NC-17 for sexual content. It is not necessary to read Part 2 if you don't care for NC-17 stuff. Spoilers: Anything goes. Pilot through The Unnatural. Summary: Mulder and Scully find themselves the object of some unaccustomed attention, and learn something about themselves and each other because of it. Time Frame: S6 - after The Unnatural, but NOT post-ep fic. Disclaimer: McDonald's, Mike Baker's 10th Street Diner, Corner Bakery, and Bertolinis all belong to their respective owners. Brandy and I belong to ourselves. We think. The X Files belong to Chris Carter, 1013 Productions and FOX. Mulder and Scully (Moose and Squirrel) belong to David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. The Metro and all monuments and historical sites belong to America. Have we covered it all? Author's explanation: Brandy and I are like Scully and Mulder, respectively. We're each like our nick-name sake, and our friendship is sort of like Mulder and Scully's - albeit, without the UST. :) The similarities of our career aspirations to that of Mulder and Scully's, is a mere spooky X File. The idea for this story came to Brandy and I on a short whirlwind trip to Washington, DC. While there, we noticed many things that we thought interesting that were or were not brought out in the X Files, about DC. This - is the result of our field trip. Things mentioned about DC specifically (street names, places visited, restaurants, etc.), are the result of very little time being able to have been spent at any one thing, and so if we got something wrong, DC'ers, we apologize, it was not intentional. If you don't know the significance of some if these DC monuments, or areas - please take American History over. THE ADVENTURES OF MOOSE AND SQUIRREL IN WASHINGTON, DC Yawn. "Stop that," Brandy pointed her finger at Heather as the two sat in a booth at the McDonald's on E Street in downtown Washington, DC, her face displaying signs of the beginnings of a yawn herself. "I'm tired." "And I'm not?" Heather snorted. "Had I not yawned first, you'd have started it." They were quiet for a moment. "Do you ever just kind of look up at that building and really want to be inside. Like you almost, belong there?" Heather asked, looking across the street at one side of the J. Edgar Hoover FBI building, which spanned the entire blocks between Pennsylvania Avenue and E Street, and 9th and 10th Streets. "We were inside. Yesterday. Remember? You bouncing up and down like a pogo stick once we cleared security?" Heather raised one eyebrow and gave her a "look". "Like you weren't excited," she finally relaxed her face and smiled. "I was. You know, I just wish we could talk to some real agents. I mean.... some of these people have got to be agents? A McDonalds right here?" "Yeah. And the Bureau really wants to keep them in shape with healthy eating, I'm sure," she smiled. "Ha ha. Funny." "No, I know what you're talking about." She lowered her voice out of courtesy as an attractive man and woman sat down in the booth behind Heather. The man's tall form dwarfed the red haired woman across from him. "I mean, the woman who gave the firearms demonstration was one, but we couldn't really talk to her or anything." "Yeah. But had she not have had to do another demonstration...who knows". Brandy's voice trailed off as she noticed that Heather had cocked her head to one side and was not listening anymore. "What?" whispered? Heather shook her head and gave a small backwards motion to show that she was trying to hear something at the next table. The two people's words were quiet but distinguishable. "Scully, we had him. We had him right where we wanted him and they let him go." "Mulder, we had to. It's called the justice system. You know, the DOJ? The Department of Justice that we work for? That building down the corner across the street?" the woman finished with a slight grin. Mulder tilted his head to one side and gave a slight roll of his eyes, belied by a slight grin. "You're a regular comedian Scully." "Arrest me then," she laughed. "Only magicians," he replied. Their joking made little sense at that point to Brandy and Heather, but the two federal employees seemed to understand. "Well, Skinner won't like it, but he wants the report in the morning." "You've almost finished it haven't you?" the woman asked? "Yeah, all but the expense section." "So what are you waiting for?" "It won't take but a little bit. I don't know," he shrugged. "Just trying to wind down I guess". The woman appeared to be shocked. "You?" "I need breaks Scully. I don't exactly *like* near misses by gunfire every case." He stopped for a minute and was looking out the window. "What?" He shook his head. "Nothing I guess.... I just... I just saw someone with a Ford's Theater shirt on." "It's right around the corner. They probably toured it yesterday or something." "Have you?" His question was abrupt and startled the woman, Scully. "N-no." He was silent for a few minutes, while taking sips of his orange juice. "You want to?" "While we're supposed to be at work?" "Scully. Let's take the day off." "WHAT?" He almost, but not quite looked slightly irritated at her disbelief, but continued on. "We don't have to start our next case until the morning, and that report can be done later. Have you ever stopped to think that we live in one of the most toured cities in the world... so much to see... and yet we've never seen any of it?" "It's not an uncommon thing Mulder. They say that if you visit New York for a couple of weeks, you'll see everything, but if you live there, chances are, you've seen nothing." "So..... you don't want to." From where Brandy sat, she could see the woman's eyes soften. "I didn't say that. I'd - I'd like to." Heather couldn't even remotely see the man's face, but she sensed he was smiling. "Special Agent Scully, would you care to accompany me to enjoy a few of the fine sites our city has to offer?" Mulder said in a low voice. Both girls missed her reply, as they were busy forcing their eyelids down and the mouths shut. "Special Agent???" Heather mouthed to Brandy, who nodded, trying hard not to stare as the two FBI agents got up from the table. The man, Mulder, grabbed the trash from the woman, Scully, and dumped it in the trash can. They then walked outside. "You know what this means don't you?" Brandy asked. "It means we're about to follow two FBI agents around town." "Maybe we can get up the nerve to ask them about their jobs." "How much help could they be? Science is my specialty and you want to be an criminal profiler. Maybe they're like in accounting, credit card fraud or something." "Well, you never know." "What if they notice." "Maybe this will be our first chance to try stealth spying," Brandy grinned. "Come on, Agent Eddy. Drink your coke and let's get going. The theater is just around the corner, like he said." Heather grinned. "Okay, Agent Sietz. But this is insane." But she got up, grabbed her purse, and followed them outside. They were just turning the corner onto 10th street. Trying not to be obvious, the girls turned the corner, and a second one around the block, and were soon trying to keep them in their view in the theater. Mulder lead Scully into the dark theater with his hand on the small of her back. They came in on the ground level right under the balcony. There was only a small crowd and they found a place to sit fairly easily. They were close to the stage right under the back balcony. From where they were sitting they had a clear view of the balcony Lincoln was shot in. "It's so small" Mulder whispered to Scully. "It was built in the 1800's Mulder, what did you expect? A fifteen screen, stadium seating theater?" Scully replied completely straight-faced. "No, but I just always thought it would be bigger." Mulder came back with a grin. A park ranger came on to the stage and started to retell the story of Abraham Lincoln's last night and of John Wilkes Booth. The ranger was very entertaining and Mulder and Scully both began to enjoy the story. About half way through the story they both noticed something odd about the ranger: he was missing the first three fingers on his right hand. "Mulder, he's missing some fingers. What do you think happened working here?" Scully whispered as quietly as she could in Mulder's ear. "Well, he IS a park ranger, maybe he hasn't always worked here. He could have actually worked in the forests or something. Lot's of things could have happened out there." Mulder replied without taking his eyes off the stage. "Like mothmen?" Scully asked. A slightly shocked Mulder turned expecting to see Scully looking at him with a Cheshire grin on her face, but instead she had turned her attention back to the stage and had a pleased grin on her face. 'We'll see who gets the last laugh today, Agent Scully' was Mulder's only thought as he turned his attention back to the ranger. The ranger finished his story, adding that they normally allowed people up in the box but as there were so many tourists this time of year, they weren't allowing anyone up. "I kind of wanted to go up there." Scully said "Well we do live here. We'll just wait until tourist season is over and come back. Then we can go up. OK?" "Does tourist season ever end?" Scully smiled at his comment. In response Mulder just smiled back and lead her to the front of the theater to get a better look at the box. What they saw was a box off to the right, facing the stage, draped with flags. It had an original sketch of George Washington in the front and center of it. Inside the box were the chairs Lincoln and his wife had sat in, and the couch their guests had sat in. As Mulder was carefully scrutinizing it, Scully leaned over and whispered in his ear: "You know Mulder, you aren't much shorter than Lincoln was." She then smiled to him and started walking to the back of the theater. "Hey! You want to look at the museum?" Mulder asked catching up to her. "Sure, why not?" was her reply as they exited the theater where a very honorable man lost his life. "The museum is down this hall and down the stairs sir," said the tour guide in response to Mulder's question. "You do realize," whispered Scully as they walked down the stairs, "that we have probably totally confused her. We are not dressed like tourists, but we just asked a question like one." Mulder let out what was as close to a giggle as he could get. "Come on Scully," he whispered. "You don't think tourists own black business suits?" Scully pretended to think hard for a moment. "Um - that would be a no," she said from the corner of her mouth. They entered the museum below the theater, Heather and Brandy staying outside on the street a short distance down, pretending to count change. "Now you're sure there is no other way out of that museum?" Heather asked. "Positive. They have to come out that door." Meanwhile, inside - "Mulder what are you staring at?" Scully asked. Mulder turned his head towards her, but his eyes didn't follow for a few more seconds. "I guess Lincoln was an interesting guy." Scully was quiet for a few minutes. "You could say that... not very popular, even among Northerners. But he got the job done. Fighting until he had pulled the nation back together. Fought for something he believed in. Something he knew was good, and just, and right." "Some people called him a coward," Mulder said softly, turning his head back to the painting of Lincoln. "People always insult that which they don't measure up to themselves. And even if Lincoln a coward, the nation still remains a nation today. That might not have happened, had he not been elected in 1860". "And look what he got for it. For all his troubles. A shot in the head. The back of the head." Scully took his hand, and squeezed it gently, dropping it slowly. "Then you figure out who the coward was." Mulder looked sideways at her and she could almost discern a smile... albeit a wry one. "Come on," she said. "Let's move on." "Okay. Where to?" Scully was silent for a moment. "Arlington," she paused. "The Cemetery." "Lead the way," he motioned with his hand, for her to precede him up the stairs. "Any particular reason why?" "Just.... always wanted to go I guess. I've been there once, to a funeral... but never really looked around." Mulder placed his hand on the small of her back as they walked up the stairs. It was now a gesture so familiar to the both of them, that it felt strange when his hand was not there. "How do you want to get there?" he asked. "We could drive, it's just beyond the Memorial Bridge." She laughed. " But I don't think the bureau would appreciate our getting a car just for sight seeing though." "They'd be more surprised at some of the places their fleet cars have been in the past few years. Some of the cars we have driven should have been laid to rest at Arlington for all we've taken them through. Why don't we head over to the Metro stop." "Okay." She smiled and followed him up the street and around the corner down ninth street until they reached the Metro station at the Navy Memorial. Walking quickly down two escalators, Mulder pulled some money out of his wallet and vended two fare cards from a machine. He handed one to Scully and they hopped on the Yellow line. They'd have to transfer to the Blue line at L'Enfant Plaza, which would take them directly to the cemetery. Neither Agent was aware of their shadows, trying to stay far enough behind Mulder and Scully, so as not to be noticed, but close enough to keep up with them. They managed to find seats, as it was getting past rush time, and Mulder gently pushed Scully in beside the window and did the same after they transferred to the Blue line. "It'll take us a few minutes to get out there. I'm taking a nap," he said, laying his head down on Scully's shoulder. "Like hell," Scully let out a short laugh. "Sit up and talk to me." "About what?" "I don't know. Anything." "Okayyyyyy." He grinned. He looked at the signs for the stop that the train had just reached. "The Smithsonian has a wonderful and colourful history. Many of the museums - " he paused as Scully punched him in the arm. "Whaaaat?" "Boring. Something else!" "You wanted me to talk. I was just telling you about the stops you'll see. You don't often take this route. When we come back, we can hop on the Red and you can tell me all of the wonderful things about all the stops on that line." Scully groaned. "Now. As I was saying - " "Babbling," Scully cut in. He gave her a look. " See - we're already at the next stop. Look what you made me do. Now I have to find something interesting to say about Federal Triangle. A triangle has three sides. And that's interesting - " "That's interesting because?" He looked down at her in a way reminiscent of one of their cases a year and a half back or so. "I'm gettin to it. That's interesting because you might notice that this stop is on a street that has two sides. Therefore, there can't really be a triangle formed by anything there. Two sides are open." "Ahhhhh. Open. Yeah. Next." "Metro Center. Well, this is slightly odd because one would think that if it's Metro Center, that ALL the lines would come through here. And you know what?" "What?" "They don't." "Mulder." "What?" "Tell me something I don't know." "Just checking. I wouldn't want you to get lost on the way home." "Mulder, I've been riding the Metro since I've lived in this area!" "I know, just wanted to make sure that you didn't come down here late one night expecting to immediately hop on the yellow or green lines cause guess what?" "What?" she asked, like he was about to divulge the secret to world peace. "You can't." "Thank you." "You're welcome. Okay, now here we are at McPherson Square. Or we're leaving it really, since it took me so long to explain about what lines you could and could not directly catch at Metro Center." Scully returned his look of earlier, but he caught the slight smile on at the corners of her lips. Trying not to let his eyes linger on her lips any linger, he continued. "This is the stop you get off at if you want the White House. It's called the White House because - " Scully cut him off again, slightly bouncing up and down in her seat. "Oh let me, let me," she said, with false exaggeration. "Raise your hand." She dutifully raised her hand above his head. "Agent Scully?" "Because it's White!" "Correct." Scully let her hand fall on top of Mulder's head before she placed it in her lap again. Mulder merely rolled his eyes. "Okay. Here's Farragut West." "And let me guess. You're about to explain why they call it Farragut West?" He paused for effect. "I'm gettin to it." Scully grinned. "Actually, I'm not entirely sure. I believe it might have to do with one of the Naval personalities from the Civil War era... I am pretty sure there was a Captain Farragut or something." "Sounds right... I remember the name from history. My..." Scully paused. "Dad would have known." Mulder reached over and laid his hand on top of hers. "He would have," he smiled gently. The conductor announced the next stop. "Mulder," Scully said laughing. "I forgot that you have to go by this stop every day." Mulder looked falsely wounded. "What's wrong with it?" "Foggy Bottom?" Scully asked incredulously, trying not to laugh out loud. "So." "Foggy..." this time she couldn't help it and her laughter filled the rapidly emptying car on the last Metro stop before the train left Washington and crossed over into Virginia. "Bottom!" "My my Agent. Scully. Had I realized you had such a twisted little mind, I would have tapped into it a long time ago," Mulder said quietly. Scully's laughter stopped rather abruptly and she looked out the window, seeing nothing but the black inside of the subway. "It's there for the tapping Mulder," she announced quietly. There was a silence between the two for a few minutes while the train crossed over into Virginia and past the Rosslyn stop, the last one before Arlington. But it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. Merely one filled with affirmation... and promise. "Blue line train to Franconia-Springfield, Arlington," said the conductor's voices over their thoughts. "This is it," Mulder said, standing up and putting one arm out in front of Scully as the train had yet to fully stop. They alighted, ran their fare cards through and headed up the escalators, coming out onto the street. Behind them, they could see the rear of the Lincoln Memorial, across the Memorial Bridge. And in front of them lay the Cemetery. "Ready?" Mulder asked, taking her hand. She smiled. "Ready." They walked across the road and into the gates. Seeing the welcome center, he motioned that he would follow her. "How do you want to do this?" he asked, once inside. "Why don't we take one of the tour busses. If we're going to play tourist, we might as well do it all the way." Mulder smiled to himself. "Sounds good to me." Don't need to wear your feet out in those heels either," he added. She nodded. "And I believe the busses stop at places so people can get out and take the next one that comes along." Mulder bought two tickets and they walked outside to catch the next tram. It started up a long incline, through various parts of the cemetery. Having been told that there were three stops and that it was custom for one to get off to look at each specified site and catch the next tram, Mulder and Scully merely enjoyed the view until it was time for the first stop, the Kennedy grave site. They alighted and walked up the hill towards the Eternal Flame. Other guests of the park were milling around and they waited until it had cleared out a bit before moving towards the marker. A solemness pervaded everyone there as they walked around the curvature of the grave, and some, the lesser prominent place of rest of Robert Kennedy. Scully turned around and looked out down the hill and across the Washington Mall. Seeing the roof of the Hoover building, she shook her head a little, with a slight smile on her face. Mulder put his hand on her back. "You ready to catch the next tram Scully?" She turned around to look at him and nodded. The next stop was the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. They were just in time to see the changing of the guard and both watched with rapt attention at the ceremony. "It's so detailed," Mulder whispered, after the ceremony was over. Scully smiled. "Such as can the military be, when they want to that is. It's an honor to be placed on Arlington duty." "And they do a great job. But over and over again.... Still," he mused, "I suppose it beats dog doo duty any day." "Still mad at Kersch, huh Mulder?" Scully laughed affectionately. Mulder good naturedly grinned at her and shook his head as if to dismiss the thought. But deep down, he knew he couldn't care less if he ever saw the man again. The third stop was Arlington House, the house that Robert Lee's family had owned for some time during the pre-war period. As it was nearing lunch time, and their unspoken designated time to return to work, they declined to get off the tour bus and rode the rest of he way through the cemetery, looking at the grave markers that were pointed out. Upon arrival back at the station, Mulder held out a hand to Scully as she jumped from the tram and they walked back to the Metro station. "I had fun Mulder," Scully said as they walked across the street from the gates of Arlington Cemetery, towards the metro stop. Mulder smiled at her, taking her hand. "I did too Scully. Kind of makes me wonder what took us so long to get to the point where we could just enjoy things for once... really see what our city has to offer." "Oh, I don't know. I think that investigating liver eating mutants, flukemen, killer kitties, shape-shifting trailer park dwellers, mothmen, and demon babies would kind of make it difficult to spend time touring Washington." "Schuleeeeee," Mulder said softly, trying his best not to smile while looking hurt. "You left out the best part. Government conspiracy... black oil... alien abduction...," he gave a dramatic pause in between each item on his list. "Conspiracy? Aliens?...psshaw," Scully gave an unladylike snort. "What are those?" she laughed playfully, jabbing him in the ribs. She fell silent, thinking about the change in their relationship. Something had changed for them - and neither was quite sure when it had happened. Perhaps the change had come from words spoken in a hallway, not so long ago, or in Bermuda, maybe Kroner, Kansas. Or maybe it was while pretending to be husband and wife in California... realizations made by the words of psychotic writers, or perhaps, even, one night of letting go of the past long enough to enjoy each other on a deserted baseball field had done the trick. Somewhere, somehow, a catalyst had been set in motion, giving each other the courage to open up a little more each day. "Scully?" Mulder's words broke into Scully's musings. "Yeah, Mulder?" "I know this might seem... paranoid - " "You?" He looked at the ground and grinned sheepishly. "Point taken. But there are two girls behind us that were at the McDonald's this morning." "Mulder." Scully pulled back and held his arm at length, taking a quick glance behind her. "They're probably just tourists. Decided to eat breakfast and come and see the cemetery. Just like we did." They began walking again, and entered the station. Mulder sighed. "Scully, in our line of work, nothing is ever *just* a tourist," he said, quoting the words of his long gone, but little forgotten informant. "The odd thing is, I could have sworn I saw them outside Ford's Theater this morning when we came out, looking at T-shirts." "The McDonalds is right up the street, remember?" Forget about it," Scully smiled as they got on the escalator. She turned around once more, giving pause for only a few seconds when she noticed that the girls were no longer in site. Shrugging it off she stepped up her pace to follow Mulder's long legs, walking down the escalator steps. From: Special Agent Mulder Date: Sat, 13 May 2000 20:43:19 -0700 (PDT) Subject: xfc: NEW -Pt1-PG13/Pt-2-NC17 - The Adventures Of Moose & Squirrel In Wash. DC 2/3 Source: xfc The Adventures of Moose And Squirrel in Washington, DC Part 2/3 Part 1 - PG13 Part 2 - NC17 Disclaimer etc in part 1 Up the road not 50 feet away... "She looked at us. I know it. They must have noticed us," Heather said. "Well, they don't seem too concerned. We'll have to run to catch them now. Once that train leaves, it will be a while before we can catch the return train." The girls started jogging to the metro entrance. "Have you noticed that we started following them to see what their day would be like as agents, and they've yet to do any work," Heather breathed. "Sounds like a promising career to me," Brandy laughed. They hopped down the stairs to the metro, looking down at the platform and spotting the two agents sitting on a bench in the midst of the crowd of tourists that they had taken the Arlington tour with. Creeping down the stairs, they found an inconspicuous place and waited as the train pulled up, keeping their attention on the two agents in front of them. "Well, we should probably get some lunch and then head back to the bureau, Scully said." Mulder sighed and nodded. "You're probably right. But it was fun," he smiled at her, holding his hand in front of the door to the subway car, not noticing Heather and Brandy hopping in the same car's back door. Scully nodded. "But Mulder, let's go somewhere different for lunch today. We eat at Mike Baker's all the time. If we're gonna play tourist, we might as well finish it off touristy." "Go with it Scully," he laughed. "What'd ya have in mind?" "Union Station." Mulder laughed. "Well that's touristy, but locals eat there too ya know." "Yeah. They do. But they just opened a new Petite Sophisticate that I wanted to look in," she grinned. Mulder's face fell. "Shopping?" "Sure," she replied. Mulder rolled his eyes and leaned his head back against the window, then immediately sat back up, the clouds lifting. "Do they have a lingerie section?" "You're dreaming, Mulder." "I can have my fantasies, can't I?" he muttered. Scully merely looked at him, wide eyed as the train crossed over into Washington. A few seats behind them, Heather and Brandy sat slouched in their seat grinning at one another. "Get a room," Heather said. Brandy giggled. "You're bad!" "Oh come on! You can smell the sexual attraction between them. They could market the scent." "They're partners!" "Like that's ever stopped anyone," Heather grinned. "And besides. There's more than one use of the word 'partner'." "Do you think they've slept together?" Heather was quiet for a moment. "Somehow... I don't think so. Don't know why.... I just do. There's that... sense." Brandy looked sideways at Heather and stared for a moment, shaking her head. "What?" "Nothing," she laughed. "You're just spooky. You know, I don't even know how we're going to follow them around Union Station. That place is huge but if they sit down at one of those little cafe places, they'll easily be able to see us." "Well we'll just have to make sure that while we can see them, they can't see us." "How?" "I don't know!" Heather gave a soundless laugh. "That's your department, oh practical one," she grinned. "Oh really," Brandy said flatly. "And what would you suggest "Ms. Leap before I look'," "What would I suggest?" she paused. "'Go with it Scully'" she mimicked. Brandy rolled her eyes again, then looked to the side where the train had stopped. "Okay, we're at Farragut West. We have one more stop, then we get off at Metro Center and get on the red line to the station. Maybe we should move back a couple of seats so they won't see us. But we can't loose them in Metro Center, or we'll never find them." "Got it," Heather said, checking behind her to make sure there were still a few seats open in the rear of the car. They chose one close to the door where they could get out in a hurry, and quietly got up and moved towards the rear of the car, assumedly unnoticed by the two agents who sat, their heads close together, talking in hushed tones. "Mulder, you're paranoid. Now stop it." "Scully - I heard her say "Spooky". I know it." "You must have heard wrong. She could have been saying anything." "Like what?" "Kooky, dooky.... And even if she did say "Spooky" who's to say she was talking about you? It's a common enough word." "But - " "Mulder, you're cranky. Eat some seeds and be quiet." Mulder feigned a frown and dug in his pocket for some sunflower seeds and waited for the train to stop. They got off at the Metro Center, and caught the red line train to take them to the next stop up the line, Union Station. Following the sign, they walked into the food court area and decided on Corner Market, a small deli and specialty bread shop across from the book store. Scully gave Mulder her order after studying the menu and he stood in line while she gathered plastic utensils, napkins, and secured them a place to sit. At one point, she thought she caught a flash of the two girls that had been behind them earlier, but couldn't be sure. 'You're just seeing things now. The power of suggestion Agent Scully'. She shook her head, giving in to a little silent bout of laughter directed at Mulder and his paranoia, and how it could make life interesting at times. Mulder returned with their orders, setting down a chicken salad sandwich and homemade parmesan flavored potato chips in front of Scully, and a roast beef sandwich at his place. "You didn't get any chips, Mulder?" "Nah, I'll just eat yours. besides," he said, setting down a square, wax paper package beside them, "I got us a dessert." "Ahhhh. A man after my own heart." Scully had a weakness for sweets. The meal passed in silence at first, both agents devouring their food, ravenous after their long and hilly walk through the cemetery, but soon, each sat back and tackled the meal with slightly less aplomb, Mulder reaching over occasionally to steal a chip from Scully's basket. "I wonder if this placed delivers?" Scully asked, trying to figure out a ladylike way to eat the last remaining bit of her sandwich, which had chicken salad falling out from every angle.... Finally, she gave up and simply shoved it in her mouth, licking her fingers. Mulder loved the way Scully ate. For the obvious reasons of course, watching her delicately lick her fingers, after having just shoved sandwich in. But she was deliberate as she ate. Not shy at all, not afraid to enjoy her food. Which gave Mulder great enjoyment watching her. "Good question. We'll have to remember this place the next time we have to chase mutants out into the surrounding countryside." "No argument from me, "Scully said, wiping at her mouth. "What?" she asked, looking at Mulder whose eyes were focused on her face. "Sounds like a plan to me," he said, reaching out to her cheek and wiping away a small smear of chicken salad. "But we'll have to remember to bring napkins." Scully smiled gently at him. "I'm experiencing a strange sense of de ja vu." "Yes, that was one of the more memorable aspects of that case." "Mulder?" Scully broke in. He looked up at her. "I'm gonna have to renege." "What do you mean?" "It's not often that we can do this. Let's just take the rest of the day off. I'll help you with the expense report tonight." Mulder's face lit up. "Don't have to ask me twice," he smiled. "What do you want to do?" Scully shrugged, almost shyly. "Well, what could be more Washington than seeing the monuments? They recently finished the Korean War Memorial, and I'd like to see it. I have been to the Lincoln, but I'd love to go again." "I'm game." He smiled and picked up the package that he'd brought with lunch. "Come on Scully. Let's get you a little more messy." "What is it?" "I have no idea," he laughed. But it looked good. It has pecans, gooey maple stuff and some sort of crust." He broke off a piece and reached his hand out, right past her outstretched palm and held it to her lips. Never taking her eyes off him - she opened her lips and accepted the piece of pastry he offered, her lips just barely closing on the tips of his fingers. She cast her eyes downwards as he withdrew his hand like he'd been stung. Mulder smiled into his lap when he noticed her doing the same. He finally looked up. "Come on," he said, his eyes laughing when he looked at her and could discern in her expression that she had known exactly what he was doing. "We can catch the metro to the Smithsonian and walk down the mall from there to the monuments. Walk off this lunch." "Ready when you are." They stood, Mulder grabbing their trash to dump it. They hopped on the escalator, oblivious to the two pairs of eyes peeking out from behind the local interest section of Waldenbooks. "Come on, can't loose em," Brandy said, moving out into the food court. "What'd you get us for lunch?" Heather asked, eyeing the brown package. "Geez, I am so glad they finished. If I had to read "Fish of the Potomac" one more time I was gonna puke." They had split up upon arrival at Union Station so Brandy could go get them lunch while Heather stayed behind to keep an eye on the two FBI agents. "Nothing as good as what it looked like they had. We'll have to come back and try that little place later on. For now though, it's peanut butter and jelly. Quick and easy, and non-aromatic attention getting." "Where in the world did you find those?" "Harvey's downstairs. Children's menu. I convinced the waitress that I had my little sister with me and that she was hungry. Got us two juices too." Heather nodded as they reached the pass turnstile. They could just see the two agent's heads disappearing down into the terminal. "Good thing he's so tall and she has red hair," Heather murmured. They hopped on the metro and took seats halfway down the car from Mulder and Scully. The metro ride to the Smithsonian was actually a bit longer this time, without Mulder's incessant talking. Both agents were trying to gain back energy after their meal. But soon enough, their stop was announced and they rode the escalator above ground to arrive on the Washington Mall near one of the Smithsonian museums. To their left was Capitol Hill and the right, the Washington Monument. "Being so late in the day, I doubt we'll get tickets to the monument," Scully said. "Probably not," he agreed. Tickets were given away on a first come first serve basis and tourists normally had to arrive early in the morning to stand a chance of obtaining them. "I still can't believe people line up as early as they do to tour our building," Mulder mused. "I can't believe we've actually been there early enough in the morning to know," Scully grumbled, giving Mulder a look she hoped was deserving of, for the interesting hours he sometimes forced her to keep. "Ahhhh Scully," he laughed quietly, passing his hands over her hair. "You don't need any beauty sleep." Scully merely looked at him as they walked, an odd mixture of surprise and pleasure on her face. Sure enough, the kiosk for the monument was covered with tarp and closed to potential ticket purchasers so they walked across the hill and began the long trek to the Lincoln and war memorials. They walked in silence for a while until Scully spoke. "Did you ever think about what these men and women went through to get here.... I mean, to have monuments dedicated to them?" Scully said softly, glancing straight ahead to the Lincoln memorial where the outline of Lincoln's massive likeness was barely visible inside the stone walls. She took his hand. "Yeah," he admitted. "It's hard not to at times. But I think that living in Washington, we're only able to tell ourselves that we can experience the history lessons of our city anytime - but dealing with the government and the horrors of this country in the manner that we do... it's easy to wonder if we should even be memorializing them." "What do you mean?" Scully wasn't exactly taken aback, but she found his answer mildly worrying. "I don't know Scully. I just look around at our country, our government, hell - our world - and I don't wonder if our founding fathers aren't rolling in their graves at what we've become. Perhaps they'd rather us *not* remember them." Scully was silent for a short while. "I suppose that's one way to look at it," she sighed, glancing down at her reflection in the pool. Mulder said nothing - just waited for the rest of her reply. "We've seen and experienced so much Mulder - and you're right. Those things do make it seem pretty hopeless for the world. But what we were founded on... what Washington, and Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, and the rest... what they had in mind for this country and what Lincoln fought to preserve, still holds true today, just as it did then. We're still a free country. So much more than other countries. Look at Kosovo... the other Balkan countries - other countries that don't get to experience life, liberty, or the pursuit of happiness, like we do - however difficult it can be at times. And we couldn't have that freedom if it weren't for the men to whom these memorials are dedicated - some of whom believed in this country enough to risk death, or even die for it." They had now reached the branch point - one path leading to the Korean War Memorial, steps leading up to the Lincoln Memorial, and the other path to the right lead to the Vietnam Memorial. Mulder tugged on her hand and as they began to ascend the steps straight in front of them, moved it to rest in the small of her back. He said nothing in response to her words, thinking them over and she, sensing that he needed to, was content to let him do so. At the top of the steps, they paused, taking in the sight. "Never quite gets you on TV the way it does in person, does it? Mulder shook his head. "If *I* feel like an ant in here, I can't imagine how *you* feel Scully," he whispered to her. Scully elbowed him in the ribs. "Careful G-man," she whispered back. "Or I might have to shoot you again." "Ooooh, Agent Scully. I love it when you talk rough to me." "Didn't know you liked it that way Agent Mulder," Scully murmured. "Hurt me." "Silly," Scully laughed. "Come on." She pulled on his hand and they walked further into the memorial. At some point, they got separated by tourists snapping pictures, and Scully found Mulder leaning against a column, staring up at the massive engraving of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. "He really fascinates you, doesn't he?" Mulder was silent for a few moments. "I guess. Not in the way you might think though. I just wonder... sometimes... why some of the well-meaning, best-intentioned people on this earth - have to pay for their beliefs... their integrity... with their lives. Or parts of it anyhow." Scully said nothing - knowing it wasn't merely historical figures that he spoke of. Mulder-guilt could be rampant at times, and she had felt this one coming since earlier this morning at Ford's Theater. Sometimes, when he got like this, assuming he wasn't walking away from her, it was easier simply, to let him know she was there. Putting her hand on his arm, she squeezed it a little, then moved away towards the entrance. She had been standing on the top step, looking out over the Mall when her eye caught sight of a girl, leaning around the low wall at the bottom of the steps, trying to look inconspicuous. Her eyes narrowed slightly and as she felt Mulder approach her from behind, she held out a finger, warning him to be quiet. "What is it Scully?" he asked. "I think you may be right Mulder. I just saw one of those girls you said was following us this morning. I'm sure of it." Mulder looked askance at her then replied, "well - lead the way." The crept down the stairs, closest to the wall where Scully had seen the girl. She was just visible, sitting on the wall, but facing away from the steps, talking to the girl who had been with her that morning. Scully and Mulder were just close enough to make out their words. "I don't know if she saw me," said the one on the wall. "It looked like she was looking at me, but I couldn't really tell." The one in the grass sighed. "Well, I suppose we should congratulate ourselves that we managed to keep up with them this far." "So what do you want to do now Heathe? Keep following them and hope they really didn't see us?" "Might be risky," Heather replied. "I have a suggestion though." "Let's hear it," Brandy answered her. "Yes. By all means, let's." Heather looked up and Brandy whirled around at the sound of Mulder's voice behind them. Neither Mulder nor Scully were sure, which was wider, they eyes or their mouths. Scully had decided perhaps based on instinct, perhaps a sense of good will, that the two girls were relatively harmless, and that they wouldn't have hung around, had they been trouble. Mulder, on the other hand, true to his "trust no one" form, wasn't so sure. He hopped over the wall and pulling on Brandy's hand with one of his to pull her off the wall, he grabbed Heather's forearm with his other hand and gently but firmly dragged the two off the grass and back onto the sidewalk in front of the memorial. Scully had chosen to walk down the steps to meet them, trying to hide an amused look. "You were saying?" he looked from one to the other. Neither Heather nor Brandy said anything. "Did I, or did I not just hear you two talking about following us?" Mulder asked, hands on his hips. "Actually no," Heather said defiantly. "We were talking about following 'someone'." Mulder tilted his head to one side and adopted a menacing look. "What my partner is saying," Scully broke in, placing a hand on his forearm, "is that we saw you two in the McDonald's this morning, and again at Arlington Cemetery. And I believe I also saw you again at lunch?" Mulder looked at Scully, a brief flash of hurt on his face. She hadn't told him that. "We didn't mean any harm, really. We were sitting behind you this morning at breakfast and overheard you two talking. We figured out you were FBI agents. Both Heather and I want to be one, so we...," she paused, realizing that she might get in trouble for admitting that they had deliberately followed federal agents. "So you two decided to follow us," Mulder stated flatly. "Yes." "Wasn't like what we expected though," Heather added wryly. Scully gave a small smile. "You might be even more surprised at what a normal day is like for us." "But it *has* to be exciting, right?" Heather asked. "It's hard work," Mulder said. "And not always the most rewarding." "How could it not be?" Brandy cut in sharply. Mulder looked at her, a small trace of bitterness flashing across his features. "Do you work in law enforcement?" she asked bluntly. "Yes." "Do you catch criminals?" "Sometimes," came his slightly defensive words. "Do you try?" "Of course." "Have you ever saved a life?" "Yes, came his reluctant reply" "Then what's the deal? These are incredible things. Things that keep this country and the people that live in it, safe. However noble and idealistic that sounds, how many people can say that about what *they* do?" Mulder was silent. Scully merely looked at him, curious herself as to what his answer would be. "I could do almost anything with my degree," Heather said imploringly, looking from Mulder and Scully and back. But I could spend the rest of my life in some corporation's labs, developing techniques to be used by others, because I'll be too busy developing the next one for my bosses benefit. Or I could work for the next 50 years at a university, teaching sporadically, but researching one small aspect of health and disease out of thousands, and hardly make any significant contributions - at least not in my mind. But to be an FBI agent - the rewards are immediate. They too might be small on the grand scale, but they'd be rewarding to me and to each and every person involved with the cases that I'd work on. I find the subject exciting and fascinating. And I can lend my scientific perspective to it. Maybe the rewards aren't as immediate as that for you. But how can you deny the implications of them ultimately? You have an honorable, respectable job - and yet you seem to view it with disdain. Why?" Mulder tilted his head towards Scully and looked away. "Look," Brandy said. "We know it must not be fantastic all the time. But just this morning we heard you talking about dodging bullets. Why do it? Why, if you didn't believe that what you were doing was worth it? Was right?" "It's just not that simple. You don't always find the answer's you are looking for, and the bad guys usually do go free." Mulder's words held a note of finality, indicating that for him, at least, the conversation was finished. He moved a little ways down the sidewalk. Scully knew Mulder had closed up shop. She turned towards the girls. "I'd be happy to talk with you about being a Special Agent with your qualifications, Heather. I work in the field just like you want to, but I'm a medical doctor, so I can relate to your science background and how it can help the bureau. And what about you Brandy? What's your interest?" "I majored in Psychology. I want to be a criminal profiler." Scully smiled. "That's more Agent Mulder's expertise than mine. He's had a hard week though. If you'd like to give us a phone number, or e-mail address - we'll get in touch with you when things lighten up?" she queried. "That would be wonderful," Brandy said, digging around in her purse for something to write on. "We're sorry we followed you. Well, not that we did, but I hope we didn't mess up your day, or interrupt anything," Heather said, with wide innocent eyes. Scully merely smiled as she took the paper from Brandy with their e-mail addresses on it. "Please excuse Mulder. It's... it can be hard for him sometimes, talking with young women," Scully said softly. "We'll be sure and e-mail you. Give you whatever information and help we can." "Thank you so much," chorused the girls. Scully shook hands with both and turned to follow Mulder who gave them a small wave. Heather and Brandy stared after them, slightly puzzled, but more excited and their new contacts. Mulder and Scully headed off towards the Vietnam Memorial, choosing to save the new Korean War Memorial for last. "If they only knew, Scully," Mulder mused, staring straight ahead. "So young and naive." "I didn't get the impression that they were that you, *or* that naive. I just think they have a respect for those who try to uphold the law in this country." "Or maybe they merely wanted the prestige of carrying a badge and a gun." "Well... I think *that* holds true for a lot of us. But Mulder, did you simply want those things?" "No, of course not." "Then why assume they do? Mulder, I would think you'd find it refreshing to meet people wanting to preserve the law, instead of break it." They had reached the wall and were now walking beside it, slowly appearing to an observer to be getting shorter, when in all actuality, the wall was merely growing taller with the hundreds of thousands of names on it. "I don't know. Grown cynical, I guess." "Mulder, one could go into any number of fields at the bureau and carry a badge and a gun. I think you know first hand that you don't get into criminal profiling unless you really want to." "Is that what they want?" he turned to her in interest. "Well, if you'd have stuck around longer," Scully teased him. "Brandy does. She has a degree in psychology and is working on her Master's. Heather has a Master's in Biology and is considering a doctorate. I can tell you from experience Mulder, you don't go through that much education if you're not serious about what you want to do." "Why then," he mused, "do I feel like we have accomplished nothing. These monsters we have chased and caught - all for what. The answer we do find, always slip away, leaving us no proof of their existence. Why, Scully?" He stopped at the "V" in the wall. "What are we doing this for?" "For your sister. For me," she smiled, taking both of his hands in hers. "For yourself. For us." Over the short grassy hill, Scully could just see the Mall's reflecting pool. De ja vu, she thought, but then continued. "We've saved lives Mulder. And we've never been closer to the truth. And we will only get closer. How many more lives can we save? I know you don't believe this Mulder, but we have made a difference. We have made the world a better place for people, if not for a lot, at least for some. And that *has* to make it worth it. And I know you have to understand that somewhere inside. Or you wouldn't still be here." Mulder smiled at Scully, the brightness of it lighting up his eyes for the first time since they had finished lunch. Scully loved the little crinkles around his eyes. He let one hand go and they continued to walk on in silence until they had finally reached the end of the wall. He nodded at the Nurses memorial to see if Scully wanted to see it, and they maneuvered past picture taking tourists until they we able to get a good look, and feel for what it meant. Finally, they headed for the Korean War Memorial. Scully's hand tightened on Mulder's as they approached it. Standing in a widened "V" shape were 18 cast figured of different soldiers. When one looked at the glossy marble wall, their reflections created the illusion of 36 soldiers, symbolic of the 36th parallel, where most of the war had taken place. A flag stood at the head of the first soldier and etched into the wall were intricate pictures of faces and memories from a war, almost forgotten. Looking at it from a distance, one did not realize the actuality of it at once. It was upon close perusal however, that the fine attention to detail could be discerned. "It's beautiful, Mulder" Scully breathed. "I had heard it was nice, but this is incredible," he agreed. They walked around the statue "garden" and looked at the smaller wall engraved with the names of all the countries involved in the Korean War. Scully ran her fingers delicately over the stone wall. Mulder moved down a little ways, perusing a figure of a little girl holding the hand of an older boy. Scully began to walk towards him, but paused, not quite able to see what he was staring at. It didn't matter. She felt she knew. After a few moments, she walked to him. "This is amazing, Scully," he said, fingering the outline of the girls face. "This whole place is," she agreed. "I wonder how many people come here not remembering there was another war." "Some," I imagine. "It was spawned from World War II somewhat. Not to mention that it came in between that and Vietnam. It doesn't surprise me that it's the less remembered." "Like our work." "What do you mean?" "How can we compete? The mutants all sandwiched in between every other thing in the world." "Because, Mulder - who needs to change the world with a big bang? We can do it a little bit at a time. Besides, the legend of Mr. and Mrs. Spooky will live on for a long time in the bureau. You needn't worry about no one remembering - or your work not affecting anyone," she said with a small smile. "Mulder, you're an admirable man. and however much you hide behind this 'I don't give a shit what people think if me' facade, the people in this world who matter - already know this. Come on," she tugged on his hand. "Where?" "They have non-fat tofutti rice dreamsicles at that refreshment stand and you're gonna buy us one." Mulder gave a false sigh and let himself be dragged to the road stand. "The things I do for you. Two non-tasty tofu not-nice nightmaresicles," he said to the woman taking orders. She looked at him like he had flown in from another planet. Scully rolled her eyes. "That will be *one* non-fat tofutti rice dreamsicle" she said. Scully looked at Mulder. "We can share." "Anything you want, Scully," he said, his eyes serious, as he looked into hers. Her eyes dropped to his chest, and her fingers busied themselves, straightening his tie. But none of her nervous actions could prevent the smile from appearing, and staying on her face. Mulder dug around in his pocket for money and paid for the frozen treat. They walked back down the mall towards the metro station after having agreed to go back to the office, and shoot out the expense report. It wasn't long before the snack was gone between the two of them and they rode back to the Hoover building in companionable silence. The expense report was knocked out quickly and they walked back through the silent halls and out onto the darkening street once again where a thought occurred to Mulder: . Taking his chances, he asked, "Hey, Scully? You hungry?" He snaked his arm around her waist and started leading her down the street. "Hungry?" She had to think about it for a minute. With all that they had done that day she hadn't paid attention to the fact that it was so late and she hadn't eaten yet. The only thing she had paid attention to was Mulder. "Yeah, I am. Why?" "Well, Bertolini's is right there." He said nodding his head in that direction. "You up for Italian?" "Mmmmmmh, Italian sounds good. But only if you're buying," she said with a small smile playing on her lips. It was then that she really noticed Mulder's arm around her waist and the fact that she had let it stay there. She would have loved for him to do that all the time, but normally, she would have smoothly pushed it away. It didn't *look* right for her partner to have his arm around her waist. But hopefully, no one in the restaurant would know. She let it stay. "Oooh, I have to buy? Maybe it's not such a good idea, considering what happened the last time you told me I had to buy." Smirking through that entire comment, he looked down on her to see her reaction. "Mulder, I seriously doubt that anyone would want to blow up Bertolini's. Unless they've started putting the virus in food." She totally deadpanned that, but when he looked in her eyes, he saw the smile there. She was having fun, he thought. ! "Ok, I'll buy, I know you don't eat that much anyway." "Oh, with you buying I'll eat more, ok? Besides we haven't eaten in about," she looked at her watch and is stunned, "Oh my gosh! We haven't eaten in about eight hours. How did we do that?" "Well, that non-fat thingy was also non-filling. You have to concede me that," Mulder taunted. Scully gave a huge exaggerated sigh and lowered her head. "Point taken." "It was the company." he simply said. They were at the entrance to Bertolini's now. He took his arm from around her waist and opened the door for her, then led her in with his hand on the small of her back. They walked into a tiny room with an L-shaped couch and a few plants, and another glass door. Walking through the glass door they were greeted by a young women who took their name, and told them the wait was about fifteen minutes. They went back out to the first room and sat on the couch. At the opposite end of the couch was a young couple was could not seem to keep their hands to themselves. Mulder and Scully watched the young couple for a few seconds, then realized they were staring and looked away. Scully thought. "You know Mulder, I have worked in the Hoover building for what, six years now? And I have never been in this restaurant." Scully said turning to him. "I think I ate here once, right after I was assigned. I came with Reggie. If I recall right, the food was good." He became somber, remembering one more person who had died along the way. It might not have been directly his fault, but he still felt guilty about it. Scully saw the change immediately and knew she had to snap him out of it quickly. Much to her surprise he pulled himself out of it. "Well maybe this time the meal won't be spent talking about serial killers," he said smiling. , Scully thought and smiled back at him. The couple at the end of the couch had gotten louder and their hands were in places that shouldn't have been touched in public. Mulder started to wonder if they were going to get a floorshow when Scully spoke up "You know Mulder, we work with the FBI and the building is right there. Why don't we come here more often?" Scully said it loud enough for the couple to hear, and got even louder when she said FBI, just to make sure the couple heard her. Mulder almost choked. He couldn't believe her audacity. "I don't know Scully, I guess with having to arrest all those people for indecent exposure and extreme displays of public affection, I guess we just don't have the time." Mulder said loud enough for the couple to hear, but neither he nor Scully looked at them. Trying to make it seem as if they weren't doing this to make them stop. The couple looked at each other and immediately withdrew their hands from one another, and sat in perfect silence, not touching anywhere. "Davidson?" The young women from the front came out to the waiting area calling for the couple. They stood and practically ran for the door to the hostess, and quickly went inside. "I can NOT believe you said that Scully!" Mulder was practically in shock. His straight laced partner had just used her profession to scare a poor young couple into getting their hands off each other, he loved it! Well he loved her, but that was beside the point. He was on the verge of laughing outright. "Why not? You do similar things all the time, why can't I?" She asked waiting to hear this answer. "I don't know, I just never thought you'd use your job like that. Those poor kids will probably never touch each other again!" He *was* laughing now. Scully did have to admit it was kinda funny, but she hadn't expected him to laugh! She had done it to make them stop. They were annoying her, not to mention she was already having to deal with the mild sense of arousal she had been experiencing all day. But the more she thought about it, the funnier it was. "Mulder?" The young woman was now calling for them. They stood up and followed her back into the restaurant, and were seated at a table by the window. From where they sat, the Navy memorial could be seen. The young couple who Scully had scared where also in their line of sight, and kept looking over at them nervously. "SCULLY! LOOK!" Mulder pointed to the table excitedly. "What Mulder?" Scully was confused. . "We can write on the table!" Mulder was acting like a little boy who just got his favorite candy from the store. "Yeah, so?" Scully was still a bit confused. "Scully, we can WRITE on the table! Let's play hangman, ok?" Mulder was confused as to why this didn't excite Scully. He picked up a crayon and started to make a hangman's stage and draw out the spaces. There were nine spaces. "Ok, Scully, guess a letter." "Fine, 'T'." She said, resigned to the fact that they were going to play hangman. Inside, she was delighted with his enthusiasm. "Good." Mulder put the T in so that it formed _ _ _ _ _ _ T _ _ "Ok, now pick another letter." Mulder was getting excited and Scully couldn't resist that boyish grin on his face, so she decided for his sake she would get into the game. "Uummm, how about 'S'? "Nope." He drew the hangman's head. "Try again." "Ok, how about 'R'? "Good." He added the 'R' so that it now formed _ R _ _ _ _ T _ _ "Ok, how about an 'E'? "Try again." He drew the hangman's body. "Uuhhh, ok, an 'A'?" "Getting better, Scully." He added the 'A' so that it now formed A R _ _ _ _ T _ _. "Go again, you're getting better at this." Mulder said to her in honest appreciation. The waiter appeared to take drink and appetizer orders. "Um, hold on, let me look at the appetizers." Sticking his head into the menu he tried to figure out what he wanted. "I'll have an iced tea, please." Scully said and then leaned into Mulder, "How about the Parmesan flatbread, Mulder?" "Hhhmmm? Oh yeah, that sounds fine. Whatever you want Scully," and he put the menu down. "Ok, we need one parmesan flatbread as an appetizer. Mulder what do you want to drink?" The only answer she got was a slight wiggle of his eyebrows. "He'll have an iced tea also." She told the waiter smiling. "Ok, it's still guessing time." "Ok, ok. Um how about, an 'O'?" "Scully you may be catching on." Mulder wrote the 'O' so it formed A R _ _ _ _ T O _. "Ok, now what about a 'B'?" "Guess again." Mulder gave the hangman a leg. "Ok, a 'G'?" "That will work." Mulder said smiling, and adding the 'G' to look like A R _ _ _ G T O _. "all right, I think I may know, how about an 'N'?" Mulder added the 'N' to look like: A R _ _ N G T O N "Ok, I know. 'Arlington'?" "Very good, Scully! You get a gold star!" "Ok, I won, now it's my turn." Scully said with a slight smirk. "Ok, I'm ready." Mulder said in anticipation. Scully drew out another hangman's stage and drew eleven blank spots. "Ok, Mulder, guess." "All right, how about an 'R'?" "Nope, try again." She put a head on the hangman. "Ok, how about 'I'?" "'I'? You want 'I'?" "Yeah, what's wrong with 'I'"? "Nothing, I guess. It's just not one of the first letters people normally pick, that's all. And since when have I been normal, Scully?" he asked with a grin. "Ok, 'I' then." She drew put the 'I' in so that it formed _ _ I _ _ _ _ _ I _ _. "Ok, how about an 'A'? "Okaaaayy." She added the 'A' so that it now looked like _ _ I _ _ _ _ _ I A _. "I know what it is. It's 'Smithsonian'." "How on *earth* did you get that?!?!?!" Scully demanded of him, with her mouth agape. "I don't know, I just saw it." He was very proud of himself for guessing it so quickly. "I hope you don't do other things so quickly, Mulder." She shot back with a pleased grin on her face. , she thought. Amusement was immediately replaced with amazement. Mulder could hardly believe his ears. "Well, just for your edification Scully, I don't. I'm normally very slow and thorough." , Mulder thought. And it did. Scully's mouth dropped to the floor. ! And, much to her dismay, his words sent a shiver along her spine in anticipation. "You cold, Scully?" Mulder asked, concern now evident on his face. "Um, yeah just a little." Scully lied just to make him believe that she was shivering out of cold, and not because of the his words. "I think there's a draft in this window." She said, still playing along, there was though, she noticed. Mulder took off his jacket and tried to hand it to her, but she refused. "Scully, it won't kill you, and at least this way you won't be cold anymore." "Fine, fine, you aren't gonna let this go, are you?" Scully said exasperated. Mulder simply shook his head and put the jacket around her shoulders. It smelled of him, she thought happily. Their appetizer came and they both dug into the flatbread. It came along with a bowl of olive oil to dip the bread in, and it dripped. Everywhere. "Don't get any oil on my jacket Scully!" Mulder said pretending to be horribly worried about it. "Well, here, why don't you just take the jacket back then?" Scully said already taking it off her shoulders. "No, no that's ok, you keep it." Mulder said with his mouth full. Scully merely smirked at him. He always was one to enjoy his food like that. And he looked damn cute doing it to! They are their appetizer in relative silence, until Scully finally piped up. "Ok, Mulder you got mine so fast, why don't we do phrases instead of just words?" Scully said with a very definite grin teasing her face. , thought Mulder. . But he was definitely game. "Ok, you wanna go first?" he asked. She merely nodded. "Sure" She said with a slightly evil smile. She started making the spaces on the paper so that it looked like this: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ "Ok, Mulder, guess." Scully smirked. "Uuummmmm, how about 'T'?" He said hopefully. "Good." She muttered as she put the 'T' in to make it look like this: T _ _ _ T _ _ _ _ _ "'L'"? "Nope." "Ok, how about 'R'?" "Yep." She said as she made it look like this: T R _ _ T _ _ _ _ _ "Oh, now that helped a bunch!" Mulder chuckled "How about an 'A'?" "Nope, try again Mulder. I thought you were good at this?" Scully said smirking at him. "I am, you're just being difficult." He replied smirking at her. "Ok, if you are so good, then guess another letter." She said with a slightly smug expression on her face. "Ok, no 'A' then how about an 'O'?" "Very good." She added it to make it look like this: T R _ _ T _ O O _ _ "May I take your order?" A tall auburn haired man asked, with a slight accent that neither could identify. "Oh, yeah I guess we should order food, huh? I haven't even looked at the menu, have you Scully?" Mulder asked, grabbing up the menu. "No, I haven't. Could you give us a minute, please?" Scully politely asked the waiter. "Of course, I'll be back in a minute." And with that he left. "Weeellll the lasagna looks good." Mulder mumbled with his head in the menu. "I think I'll have the pasta with roast potatoes and sun-dried tomatoes." Scully said and Mulder grimaced and stuck his tongue out, in obvious distaste. "If you do that again Mulder I'm gonna take it." Scully said smiling slightly and looking at him sideways. "Ooohhhh is that a promise, Scully?" Mulder asked smirking back at her. Scully just rolled her eyes at him. The waiter came back after about three minutes and took their order. They resumed playing the game immediately after he left. "Ok, how about an 'N'?" Mulder asked hopefully. "Oooohhh Mulder, you're getting better at this." Scully smiled and him. She added the 'N': T R _ _ T N O O _ _ "You didn't, Scully. Did you?" Mulder asked, wondering if his answer could be right. "I don't know Mulder, what do you think I did?" She asked innocently. "'Trust No One'?" "How did you get that?!?!?!" Scully asked him, laughing because he seemed so astounded that she would pick such a phrase. "I don't know, I just saw it, I guess. What made you pick that phrase, Scully?" He still looked slightly dumbstruck and she couldn't really figure out why. "Why is it so odd Mulder?" "I don't know, I just figured you'd use some complicated medical phrase that I'd never be able to get." He said this smiling a bit now. "Well it's no fun if you absolutely can't get it, now is it Mulder?" "No, I guess it's not. My turn now?" "Sure, the paper is all yours." She said this handing over the crayon. He took the crayon and started drawing out the blanks so that it looked like this: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ "Ok, I'll guess 'E'? Mulder nodded his head and put the 'E's in place so that it looked like this: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ E _ _ E _ E "Okkkaaay, will that helped!" Scully said with mock exasperation. Mulder smiled at her tone of voice and nodded at her to go on. "Ok, 'S'?" "No, try again." "Okay, how about a 'T'?" Mulder nodded and put the 'T' so that now it looked like this: _ _ _ _ T T_ _E_E_E. "Well at least I got that one. How about, uummm, 'L'? Again Mulder nodded and added the letter, which made it look like _ _ _ _ T T _ _ E L _ E _ E "What about an 'A'?" she asked with a thoughtful expression on her face. "Very good mi' lady." Mulder replied with very convincing British accent. One, in fact, which had Scully promptly rolling her eyes. Mulder added the 'A' to make it look like _ _ A _ T T _ _ E _ _ E _ E "I know what it is Mulder," Scully said with a very satisfied tone of voice and look on her face. "Scully, you can NOT possibly know what that is yet!" Mulder said exasperated. "Oh, but I do Mulder, I do." She replied with an almost impish grin. "Ok, fine Scully go ahead and embarrass yourself and try to guess." "Oh, I don't have to guess, cause I know what it is. It's 'I Want To Believe'," Scully answered him, amused. Mulders jaw nearly hit the table as she guessed it right. "Scully how did you get that so fast?!?!?!" "Mulder, after six years together, I know you. It wasn't all that hard to guess what phrases you'd pick." She said all of this with a very warm smile on her face. Mulders face practically lit up at her words. "Will I'd bet that you won't get my next one Scully." He said with a seductive smile. "I guess we'll just have to find out won't we? It's my turn next anyhow." But as Scully said this, their food arrived. "Ok, why don't we eat and can finish playing when we're done?" "That'll work Mulder, I can understand you wanting to delay your humiliation a little longer at not getting my next one right." "Well if you're gonna be like that, we can play while we eat!" "Relax Mulder I was joking, we can play after we finish eating." Scully said laughing. They dug into their food with the gusto of people who hadn't eaten in years. They didn't talk as they ate, merely enjoyed the food and company. Every once in a while they would glance at each other and then glance away not wanting to be caught. At last they finally got close to being finished and decided to play again, although they both picked at their food as they played."Ok, Mulder try this one." Scully drew out the lines so that they fell in the patten to look like _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _. "This shouldn't be hard Scully. How about an 'S'?" "An 'S' it is." She put the 'S' in to look like _ _ _ _ _ _ _ S _ _ _ _. "Thank you, Scully that helped me soo much!" He exclaimed with mock exasperation. "How about an 'N'?" She nodded and added an 'N' so that it looked like _ N _ _ _ _ _ S _ _ _ _. Mulder said and said, "What about a 'T'?" Again Scully nodded and added the 'T' so that it now looked like _ N _ _ T _ _ S T _ _ _. " 'R'?" She added the 'R': _ N _ _ T R _ S T _ _ _. "Well I know one word know, how about a 'U'?" She smiled and added the 'U': _ N _ _ T R U S T _ _ U. "That didn't really help, because know you have me stumped." He considered the spaces for a moment and then added, "How about an 'O'?" She added the 'O': O N _ _ T R U S T _ O U. "Wild guess here. An 'L'?" She smiled and nodded and added the 'L': O N L _ T R U S T _ O U. "Scully?" Mulder asked, getting the puzzle now and wondering if he really had it or was just imagining it. "What Mulder, do you have it?" "I think I do." He said still a little dumbfounded. "Well what is it then?" "I think it's 'Only Trust You'." "What is so odd about that Mulder? You look amost stricken." "I just didn't expect that. Is it true?" "Of course it's true Mulder, did you think it wasn't?" She almost looked hurt that he didn't think she trusted him. Actually it did hurt that he didn't think she trusted him. "No, I did know it, just didn't expect you to readily admit it like that, that's all." He still looked confused as he said it, but it took a little of the edge off the pain. "I didn't think we were doing made up phrases so I used a true one, did I get that wrong?" "No, no that's fine, my next one will be true too." He said with a satisfied smile. "Ok, Mulder go ahead." He drew out the lines to look like this: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _. Scully started guessing with 'A', got that wrong and guessed 'R', 'S', and 'T' and got all of those wrong. She was starting to get frustrated when she finally got one right. "How about an 'E'?" She asked hopefully. Mulder smiled and put the 'E' in: _ _ _ _ E _ _ _. Scully started guessing again, and once again went on a losing streak. She guessed 'B', 'H', 'C', 'M', 'N', 'D', and 'W' before she finally guessed 'L' and got it right. "It's about time Scully." Mulder said smiling. He added the 'L': _ L _ _ E _ _ _. "Ok, I'm going to do vowels now. I've already guessed 'A' and 'E' so how about an 'I'?" Mulder nodded and added the 'I': I L _ _ E _ _ _. "How about an 'O'?" He added the 'O': I L O _ E _ O _. Scully gasped as she realized what the puzzle said. She looked up at Mulder and he just started back at her with his hopeful puppy dog look. "Mulder you said this puzzle was true?" His nod was the only response she got. "Then I must have guessed it wrong....." She trailed off as Mulder slowly shook his head. "I didn't get it wrong?" Scully practically squeaked. Again Mulder merely shook his head. "Mulder say out loud what that puzzle says." She whispered almost to the point of him not being able to hear her. "Scully, it says 'I Love You' and yes it's true." He wouldn't look at her, and it finally occurred to her that he wouldn't look at her because he was afraid of her response. She gently leaned over and with her fingers under his chin tipped up his face to look at her. "I love you too Mulder." She smiled. "You do?" Now it was his turn to whisper. "You didn't think I did, did you?" He shook his head, he looked so much like a little lost boy that Scully's heart nearly broke in two. So she said it again. "I love you Mulder." He looked up at her and she smiled at him. "Let's get out of here Scully." She nodded and they paid the check and walked out the door in silence, both trying to digest this interesting turn of events. **************** Mulder held the door for Scully as they left Bertolini's. "I'll see you home Scully." "Mulder - you don't have to do that. It's totally out of your way. I have my car today anyway." "I know. But I'll follow you to your house. I want to," he added before she could protest. Scully didn't look very much like protesting anyway. She was staring once again, at the Navy memorial just to the right of Bertolini's. "Come on," he said softly, taking her hand. "Where?" "Let's go look at it. Just think of it as our last sight-seeing thing for the day." Scully noted that he had termed it 'sight-seeing' and not 'playing tourist'. "Still playing tourist, are we Mulder?" "Nah. This means more than many sites. Let's just call it... paying respects." They had reached the memorial marked by an anchor shaped flag pole, set in the midst of a fountain. Scully walked around it's perimeter while Mulder hopped up on the small wall encircling part of the fountain. He quietly observed Scully from about 25 feet away. "You raised a wonderful daughter Mr. Scully," he mumbled in a low voice, glancing upward. "I'm sorry for everything that's happened to her - because of me." He paused, his eyes turning down to look at his hands lying idly in his lap. But I'm not sorry I met her. I'm not sorry that she met me. Or - that we love each other. I'll take care of her Mr. Scully. The best I can. Just as she takes care of me. She loves you. She hopes you're proud of her. She doubts it at times - but I know... if you see her like I do - you are proud of her. There's no way you couldn't be," he finished his last whispered sentence looking at Scully, her small form standing just across from him, her head bowed. Feeling his eyes on her, she looked up and smiled. Scully reached down and took off her shoes. She walked across the fountain, just skirting the edge of where the water splashed down. Yet some splashed up on her anyway. When she reached him, she hopped up on the wall beside him and laid one hand on his knee. "He was proud of me Mulder. He is proud of me, in his own way. He just didn't show it well." Mulder was too shy to look at her, not knowing if her words came simply from what she had been feeling, or if she had actually heard his mutterings. "And you know what? Fatherly concern aside... he would have been proud of you too. You hold true to your values and beliefs. You fight for what you know to be right and just. And like me - you serve your country. I can't say he would have thought much of some of your theories... and...," she sighed ruefully, "he might have been a bit fanatic when it came to my safety. But he would have come around." "Hmmmhph," Mulder let out a grunt. "Might have even called me "son" one day." Scully was silent for a moment. "Mulder?" Mulder looked up as he realized what he had said. Shaking his head, he turned to her. "What has this evening been leading to Scully? This day - the past 6 years? It was meant to happen. *We* were meant to happen, to be together. I can't remember when I didn't feel that even if I wasn't sure when, that you and I would be partners in every sense of the word one day. There's no other end for us Scully. And no other end that I want. And," he took her face in his hands, "I know you feel the same way." "Mulder," his name was torn from her lips as her mouth descended on hers. "I love you. I love you." She was surprised at how easily the words were to say. "I love you Scully." Mulder pulled her face down to his chest and he put his arms around her. They held each other for a moment until a voice broke the silence. "Agents?" "Sir!" Mulder released his grasp on Scully and turned around, hopping off the bench. There stood Walter Skinner - his normally stern facade plastered across his face. He had his jacket over one arm, the hand over hips hip. "Good evening sir," Scully said, her voice clever enough, but shaky, to her ears. "Your expense report. On my desk, first thing in the morning. And Mulder - don't go overboard on the explanation for the 20 bottles of petroleum jelly. Trust me. You'll be better off." Skinner started to move on down towards the metro stop that would take him to Crystal City. But he turned around once more. "Oh, and agents?" "Sir?" Mulder answered, dread filling his voice. "Two things. First of all - it's about time you two got your heads out of your asses. Second of all, watch what you two do around here. Some days, they're only looking for a reason." Skinner turned around and disappeared into the night. Mulder's eyes followed Skinner down the street until the top of his head dropped below the escalator's entrance. Scully let out a shaky giggle, followed by a soft sigh. "Think we should invite him to the wedding?" "Are you kidding? He can be my best man for that!" "Actually, I was thinking about asking him to give me away," she said softly, holding onto Mulder's waist as he walked over to straddle her knees. Mulder put his hands on the wall on either side of her. "He can do both." He kissed her on the lips. Scully smiled. "Well, we have time. I don't want to rush this Mulder. There are still so many people to tell - things to decide. And I do want a traditional wedding you know." He tweaked her nose. "I know. I figured you would. And you shall have it my Scully. As long as I can have an Elvis impersonator there." "Mulder!" Scully drew back in shock, her eyes dancing. "No." "Scully, come one, what could be better!" "Mulder, no," she laughed. "Unless he is serving cake or something." "I want him to sing. Pleeeease?" Scully groaned and laughed into his shoulder. "Anybody ever tell you what a poopyhead you are sometimes, Mulder?" "I seem to recall hearing something like that once," he replied. "But like you're a barrel of fun Scully. Live a little!" "Live a little? You want me to live a little?" "Sure." "Okay Mulder," she smiled, taking his face an her hands and kissing him again, totally ignoring Asst. Director Skinners advice. Mulder's hands on her waist helped her hop down and she walked as she kissed him. Mulder was so caught up in the feel of her hands on his face, and her mouth on his that it didn't occur to him that she had taken his words seriously until a huge plop of water hit him straight on the head. "Scully!" he yelled, breaking his mouth from hers as the cold water coursed over them. "Live a little Mulder!" Scully broke away from him and ran to the other side of the streaming water. "You asked for it," he laughed, charging towards her, kicking water as he ran. Mulder and Scully ran around in circles, splashing each other with water, until they fell against the wall that they had sat on, breathing heavily. "That's the last time I make fun of your sense of adventure." Mulder laughed. "You'll learn Mulder. I'll train you yet." He grinned. "I think you already have. Come one." "Where to now?" Mulder stood up and pulled Scully up with one hand. Brushing a strand of wet hair away from her eyes, he tilted her chin up. "Home Future Mrs. Mulder," he said, his words full of promise. "I think it's time we both started a new adventure and lived a little." Scully merely nodded, receiving his brief kiss. "Home," she repeated. THE ADVENTURES OF MOOSE AND SQUIRREL IN WASHINGTON DC Part 2/2 Rating: NC-17. WARNING: Herein lies SEX! NC-17 ahead. If you're underage, we don't want to know about it. Mulder reached into his pocket and took out his keys. Keeping Scully's hand in one of his, he found the right key and unlocked her door. He stepped back to allow her to pass through, then gently pushed the door shut behind him with his foot. Their clothes were on the way to drying but not quite. Car seats had soaked up most of the water. Scully had stopped just in front of him and had not yet turned around. Mulder gave a small smile to himself and shoved his keys back in his pocket. He reached out one hand and placed it on Scully's shoulder. Giving a small nudge, he stepped forward, directing them towards the bedroom. Scully's hallway had never seemed so endless. Upon entering her bedroom, they stopped. The blinds were open and the light from the moon shone through, when it wasn't obscured by increasingly heavy clouds. The clouds traced patterns across the slit of light on her wooden floor. Mulder laced his arms around her from behind and simply held her for a moment. "Are you nervous?" he said softly into her ear. She shook her head. "No. Yes. Maybe." Mulder gave a small laugh and then unwound his arms, but kept them on her shoulders. "It's just me Scully. Me. Mulder." "I know," she whispered. "But... it's... you. I just... I want this so much Mulder. I've been wanting this for so long. It's like I'm in a dream or something. Everything is in slow motion." "I can speed things up if ya like." Scully giggled. "This is fine Mulder. I'm fine. You're fine." "Scully.... I think we're both gonna be fine for the first time." Mulder moved his hands slowly to her breasts, gently running his hands down her suit jacket. Scully reached up and put her hands over his forearms, not in protest... but rather supplication. She sighed as his fingers moved inside her jacket, his thumbs brushing her taut nipples. Mulder's mouth came down to her neck, just underneath her ear. "I can't remember when you weren't a part of my life. When you weren't my life," he whispered hoarsely. Scully could tell he was choked up. "You're everything to me Scully. I can't see without you. I can't hear without you... I can't feel anything, without you." Mulder slipped her jacket off her shoulders and pushed it behind him to the floor. "I know it's an incredible responsibility that you might never have asked for. But I can't live without you, in every way possible. You ARE my one in five billion Scully." He pulled her silk tank shirt from the waistband of her skirt. "I love you. I don't know what in the world I did to deserve you. But I will forever thank the Heavens that someone was watching over me." The tank top was lifted over her head, revealing a navy satin bra. Mulder began a slow tease to her breasts, using his finger tips to play over them lightly, circling around, but not touching her nipples. "I don't mind in the least... but you're making this all about you again Mulder," Scully replied, closing her eyes, and concentrating on the feel of his hands. "Perhaps it was I that did something to deserve you. I feel like I lost part of myself since I met you." Mulder's hands stopped their caress, until he heard her continue. "But I know I found something even better. That part was refilled with you. And I'm better than ever for it. God was watching over me. He was watching over both of us. However painful the journey, He made sure we found each other. In every way possible." Her head lolled back against his chest and he brought his mouth down to hers, taking her lips in a long, lingering kiss. Never taking his lips from hers, Mulder unclasped the hook to her bra, mercifully in the front. The cups fell away and he maneuvered it off her shoulders, his hands coming up to replace the satin, providing warmth against the slight chill of the night. Scully brought her hand up to the side of his face, feeling the day's worth of stubble. Leaving one hand in place, and regretfully breaking their kiss, Mulder brought down the zipper of her skirt and pushed it off her body, leaving Scully clad only in pantyhose and panties that matched her bra. Scully tried to turn around, but he stopped her, gently but firmly splaying one hand against her abdomen. Her hose were next, joining the skirt on the floor, and finally, her panties. Mulder gently pushed her away from him, but held her still by her shoulders. Somehow, she sensed that he was perusing her, and let out a soft, shaky sigh. They knew each other so well and had in fact seen the other naked on more than one occasion. Yet this was different. "You're beautiful Scully. Perfect." "I want to see you Mulder," she answered, so softly he had to strain to hear her words. "You will," he replied. "Soon." Mulder drew her back into his arms, the roughness of his Armani rubbing against Scully's back, sending tingles up and down her spine. He began to walk forward until Scully's thighs reached her bed. Holding her in place merely by his presence behind her, he shrugged out of his jacket and unbuttoned his shirt. Both joined the growing pile behind them. Scully reached around to place her hand on his stomach, just above the waistband to his slacks. He allowed her to unbutton them and reach inside to cup him in her hand, feeling the weight of him. "Scully," he rasped. "I want this to last. To be perfect for you. And if you touch me like that...." "Go with it Mulder," she whispered. "We have all night. We have the rest of our lives. It will always be perfect for us, no matter how short, or how long. How good or how bad. Because it's you, and me together. How could that not be perfect?" Mulder groaned and pushed his slacks off, after having kicked off his shoes. Reaching down one hand at a time, he pulled off his socks, finally standing in nothing but shiny black boxer shorts. Before long, those had disappeared as well. His strong arms encircled her once again, this time, his movements a little more deliberate. His fingers teased her nipples, but Scully was already on the brink of flying. Her breathing grew shallow, as did his when she reached behind her to grasp the length of him. She gave a short gasp as he tugged one nipple. "Scully?" "What," she whimpered. "Touch yourself for me." Scully turned her head around to look at him. His eyes burned into hers. She had never done that for anyone. But if Mulder wanted it, there was no question in her mind that he would be the only one she'd do it for. And love every minute of it. And besides... she could play with him this way later on, she thought, desperately trying not to let out an evil bout of laughter. Scully reached her hand down, tilting her eyes towards the bed, and touched herself, making small motions with her fingers. Mulder placed one hand on her back and gently pushed her so that she had to put her free hand on the bed as she leaned over. Taking one knee, he gently spread her legs apart. Quite aware of her fingers, still moving over and around her clit, Mulder took himself in one hand, and placing the other on her left hip, stood behind her seeking entrance. "Scully..." Mulder paused, breathing harshly. "I won't break Mulder." Scully's hair flew back as she looked back at him again. "I might," came his answer, seconds before he entered her, going deeper, every time she thought he couldn't. Neither had any words, no matter how many times their mouths opened and closed, trying to give voice to the sensation of finally being joined in the last way they had denied themselves. Neither Oxford nor medical school had prepared either a strong enough vocabulary. Six years of wanting, and waiting for each other was a long time. An incredibly long time. Mulder leaned over and cupped her breasts in his hands, as she continued to stimulate herself. Scully switched hands, propping herself on the bed, a task that was becoming increasingly difficult as Mulder's thrusts became more deliberate, both in speed and strength. He soon leaned back however, and pulled her by the shoulders with him. Pulling out from her and giving the small of her back a slight nudge, he indicated that she should lay on the bed. She did and when he had followed her, she lay back against the pillows and took in his body for the first time that night. Scully smiled at him as he lay himself over her. The feeling of his long lean body covering her tiny figure was as comforting and safe feeling as she had always imagined it would be. Mulder used a knee to part her thighs and slowly sank back into her again. "I could build an apartment and live here forever Scully," he mumbled with his eyes shut. "Silly," she laughed softly into his chest. "I'm serious," he replied in earnest. "I could - " "Shut up and make love to me Agent Mulder." "Yes Agent Scully. It would be my pleasure." "And mine," she smiled. Scully locked her arms around Mulder's back and drew her knees up. Mulder propped himself up on his elbows and laid his hands on the top of her head, his fingers intertwining with her hair. "I love you Scully," he whispered. "I know," came her breathless reply. "Love you." Mulder's thrusts grew incessant, his pelvis coming against her with incredible force. He slowed down for a moment, afraid he was hurting her. But she shook her head. "Don't... stop.. Mul- faster," she murmured. "Faster?" "Harder... yeah... harder," she gasped. "Harder? Scully I can't get any harder." "Oh Mulder...oh... joking at a... time like this...." "Scully...." "Mulder... I...ahhhhh!" she cried, feeling one of his hands come between them to not so lightly caress her. "Scully?" "What Mulderrrr?", meeting one of his thrusts. "We never ate desert tonight." "What did you have in mind?" she asked, panting. "Well, there was that chocolate, and cherry thing, with whipped cream," he muttered, still stroking her. "I kind of wanted to eat that." "Mulder - I can't offer you any of those - well, at least not literally. But would you settle for plain old Scully desert for now. Chocolate cherries and whipped cream later?" "Scully, you gettin kinky on me?" "Who me?" "Uh huh." "Neverrrrrrrrrr," she slurred, as the speed of his stroking increased. "Scully, how? How do you like it? Tell me." "I thought that's what earlier was for," she groaned, almost unable to get her breathing steady enough to answer him. "Oh...no. That... that was for just for my pleasure.... how do you want it...?" "I'll get you.... for... that," she giggled, her last work coming out as a squeak, having coincided with one of his thrusts. "Promises, promises - ooooh. There?" He had swept his finger along the groove running along the outside of her inner lips. "Uaaaahhhhh yeah..." she cried, raising her pelvis off the bed to meet him. Mulder, now intent on what he was doing, slowed down a bit, never wanting to forget the myriad of expressions that crossed Scully's face because of his ministrations. They were both finished with words for the time being, each intent on their actions. Mulder looked down at Scully. "Look at me," he whispered. She raised her eyes to meet his, but then glanced down seconds later. He thought he had seen tears in her eyes. "No baby, look at me." Scully raised her head again. "Always you. Only you," she said, her snuffling sound almost being overtaken by the whimpered gasp that escaped her lips Mulder wanted to spend the rest of his life getting to know each and every sound that she made, but he felt he had waited a lifetime to hear the one she emitted next. Scully let go with his name on a long cry, not a sigh, not a scream. Just somewhere in between. It was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard, next to telling him she loved him that is. Mulder stopped his thrusting and held her hands down at her sides, laying just enough off her so as not to crush her while she came down. He pushed himself up however, to look at her, after hearing that tiny snuffling sound again. She was crying. But she wasn't alone. Scully looked up, her eyes bright with tears as she felt a wet drop land on her nose. Mulder leaned down and kissed it off, letting his mouth trail across the bridge of her nose, to her cheek, kissing away her tears. "I'm sorry Mulder.... Emotions... this day... this... release... my body just turned against me." He shook his head gently at her in wonder. He knew her tears were not tears of sadness, or regret. "Even in sex, always the scientist." He was glad to see her smile. "Then my body turned against me too Scully. Why should we not cry after something so incredible?" "Mulder?" "What?" "We're not finished yet," she smiled demurely, her hand running the length of him, "Oh Scully, that can wait," he mumbled. "No it can't." Scully grasped his hands and using the strength she could muster, pushed him over. "Scully, what....?" "Shut up Mulder. And let me make love to you," she said, sliding her body down his. "Scully, you don't have to do this," he said, after seeing what her intentions were. "I know. I want to. Now I want you to lay back, close your eyes, and think, there's no one like Scully. There's no one like Scully." "Do I have to close my eyes?" "Oh, you like to watch, do you?" "I like to watch anything you do Scully." Scully merely smiled, just before taking him in her mouth. She palmed his balls on one hand, and stroked his length with her other, using her forearms across his thighs as leverage. Mulder's hand reached up and played with one of her breasts idly. Her tongue tickled the base of his cock and torturously ran up his length. Placing her lips on the tip of him, she sucked, dipping the tip of her tongue in the opening to his urethra. Mulder put one hand on her head, not really pushing it down, but just resting there. He was a mass of incoherent thought and sentiment. His head thrashed on the pillow, lifting every now and then to glance at her, but unable to stay in place for long. He thought at some point that he had died, and that he must be in heaven..., but he really didn't *think* so. "Scully?" She didn't answer him, nor look up from what she was doing. "Scully!" he said louder, this time. "Scully, I'm - ." Scully finally lifted her head up. "Mulder. I know. I want you to." Mulder was a little less sure at that point that he *hadn't* died and gone to heaven. "But - ." "Shhhhhh Mulder. Come for me," she whispered, her mouth descending on him seconds before his release came, coinciding with an equally long, but definitely louder emission of her name, compared to her release. He panted, wondering how to catch his breathing up to his heart beat. Mulder looked at Scully, breathing heavily, her head lying next to his thigh. He placed one hand on her head. "Come here," he said softly. She crawled up beside him, snuggling next to his long body. They fell asleep, her head on his chest, nose in his neck, feeling like they had been doing it forever. Sometime during the night, Mulder woke up. Scully was no longer beside him. He sat up in her bed. She was standing beside her window, one hand holding the curtain back, as she looked out, the other draped casually at her side on her hip. Mulder scooted off the bed and padded quietly over to her, putting his arms around her waist. "What do ya know, Scully?" he asked quietly. "I know it started to rain last night. The moon has come out a few times though. I think it might only be scattered showers." She paused. "I love the rain on quiet nights like this. The city... our jobs... seem so far away... it's peaceful. I know I feel at peace. I know you have something to do with that." Scully closed her hands over his. "I know I love you Mulder. Everything you are, have been, and will be. With everything I have. We've had so much pain. I'm not saying we won't have more. It's inevitable in our line of work. But we're together. I think we can only ultimately bring each other peace now, through the good times... and the bad." She leaned her head back against his chest, almost shivering with delight at the feel of his naked body enfolding hers. "I know I want to make love to you again." She turned around and looked at him. "Take me back to bed Mulder. Love me." He kissed her mouth. "Always, Scully. Always. Fini