Title: Waffle House
Author: Laura Sprys
Date: 6/12/2002
E-Mail: short_and_cute@hotmail.com 
Rating: pretty much hit the R/NC-17 rating by the time 
it was done 
Category: MSR

Summary: Waffles, Chocolate Pudding, Peaches, Whipped Cream ... 
the Mulder and Scully you've always wanted but never saw 
until now

Spoilers: DON'T PANIC: There aren't any spoilers. I swear. 

Disclaimer: Scully and Mulder will forever belong to Gillian 
and David -- who've made them flawed, beautiful and above all 
else, unforgettable.

Thanks go to one of my best friend's, Jim, for the phrase, 
"Look Ma, No Hands"
The rest of the thanks go to my husband ... for everything else.

$&%&&%

Waffle House
By: Laura Sprys (Strandt)

$&%&$%

"Hey Scully?"

"Mmmhhmphhh?"

"You awake over there?"

"Do I sound awake Mulder?"

"Not really ..."

"Then good-night."

"Scully?"

She remained silent, and he tried again, "Scully?"

"Silence means I'm asleep and I don't want to get into it 
with you now ... it does not mean 'annoy the living piss 
out of your partner until she becomes irate and much more 
prone to incidents of punching'."

"What would you have done if I had come over to your 
apartment that night I was drunk, with something else 
besides alien chasing on my mind?"

"Jesus Christ Mulder ... do you have any damn concept of 
the phrase 'shut up so I can go to' ..." She stopped 
mid-sentence when she realized what he had asked, 
"wait ... what?"

"What if I had come over to your apartment that night for 
something a little more heated than an exchange about 
military alien coverups?"

She now lifted her head to look at him, her hair flopping 
over her face, which held a dazed expression, "why are you 
asking me this now?"

Holding up the magazine pages for her to see, "there's a 
quiz on whether drunken trysts have any hope of survival 
and how to handle when one shows up on your doorstep."

Her eyes rolled as she laid her head back down, "why the 
hell are you reading 'Cosmo' at 3:00 in the morning and 
why the hell are you reading it to me?"

"I found it in the nightstand and I couldn't sleep ..."

Deflating with defeat, "all right ... you've now peaked 
my interest ... or at least as much as it can be peaked at 
this ungodly hour in the middle of Yuma, Arizona." 
Struggling to sit up in the bed, she turned in his 
direction, "I would probably have sat you down, given 
you a cup of coffee and then put you to bed on the couch."

"Ohhhh ... okay."

"What? Are you disappointed? Did you think I would have 
stripped down right there and hopped on for a good ride? 
Yep Mulder, you caught me. It's always been a fantasy of 
mine ... me on top, you reeking of Pucker shots."

"You think it would have been a good ride ey?"

Flopping onto her stomach, she buried her head in the 
pillow and groaned, "oh God, why do I put up with him?"

"Because I pose interesting questions ... ones you've 
often thought of but were too afraid to ask."

"I swear, the next time we have to share a room, you're 
sleeping in the car."

Mulder came and stood next to her bed. Leaning over and 
whispering into her ear, "admit it Scully ... you know 
you wanted me that night."

A muffled, "hah!" emerged from inside the pillow. She 
rolled over, a wicked grin on her face, "you wouldn't 
have been able to keep up."

"Reeallly? You're that good huh?"

Still wearing her smile, she turned over for a final time, 
"good night Mulder."

Mulder stood there speechless, then turned and went back 
to his bed. Switching off the overhead light and laying 
down, he finally let his imagination run wild, the grin 
slowly growing on his face as well.

&%&$&%

For some insane reason, they decided to drive home instead 
of fly. For even more insane reasons, Scully agreed 
wholeheartedly when Mulder suggested it and even called 
the rental car place herself, making up some story about 
illness and altitude and fluid in the ear. Mulder didn't 
care 'cause he got to spend some extra time with Scully 
away from the office. 

Either way, the car was soon loaded up with juice, candy, 
maps, trashy novels, car magazines, pounds of sunflower 
seeds and CD's, all bought on a shopping spree at the 
local Wal-Mart. Decked out in shorts and t-shirts, the 
pair was ready to set out for their ultimate destination, 
approximately 2500 miles east.

The conversation with Skinner had been short and annoying. 
Mulder handed the phone to Scully and she attempted to 
sweet talk him as she had the guy at Hertz rental but, of 
course, that little plan didn't work. She had to resort 
to making a series of queer beeps and hisses into the phone 
and rushing her goodbye on the pretense of a bad cell 
connection.

"I think we'll just finish that conversation when we get 
back to DC."

Mulder laughed outright at the scrunched up face she was 
making, "I so need to go on vacation with you more often."

Nonchalantly pushing the power button on her cell phone, 
"oops, did you see that? My finger jumped right out and 
turned my phone off." Tossing it in the back seat, "better 
make sure I don't touch that again ... who knows what my 
hand might do to it next."

"Get in the car Miss Scully ... we's got us a road trip 
to commence on."

"Oh god Mulder ... I've got the most horrible picture in 
my head of you standing around in overalls with a pitchfork, 
chewing tobacco and complementing the cows on how well 
they're hung."

"You've been dipping into the secret stash haven't you?"

Rolling down her window and propping her sockless feet up 
on the dashboard, "it's called relaxing Mulder.  I'm going 
to do all of it I can on this trip and I suggest you do 
the same."

Pulling out into traffic, "this is gonna be awesome."

$&%&^&#$

About six hours later, Mulder was back in the driver's 
seat and Scully was half-way through one of the fluff 
romance novels she had purchased. Every so often she'd 
read out a line or two to Mulder, sending them both into 
hoots of laughter. Their favorite so far was the mentioning 
of 'the hero's purple headed warrior and the fair maiden's 
mound of love pudding'. 

Either way, she tore herself away from one of the 'steamy' 
love scenes in time to notice Mulder taking the interchange 
to a northbound freeway. Pointing out the window, "east 
would be that way, oh great navigator."

Mulder turned to her with hair in shambles and sunglasses 
on, "yeah ... but the Waffle House is this way. Just a 
little detour."

Looking over the top of her sunglasses at him, "Waffle House?"

"Yeah."

"'Waffle House' as in waffles 24 hours a day with 
strawberries and whipped cream and bananas?"

"Yup. And stop your drooling. You're getting the dashboard 
all wet."

"I need waffles."

"And waffles you shall receive."

#$*#$^^

Continuing on their once again easterly freeway, Scully 
stopped the car in front of a Motel 6 around 7 that evening. 
"Good?"

Mulder yanked his seat back into its upright position, 
"good." Walking into the lobby and up to the check-in desk, 
"one please, two beds."

Scully raised an eyebrow at him, "one room?"

"One always ends up falling asleep in the other's room 
anyway. Why pay for it?"

Shaking her head in agreement, "I won't even make you 
sleep in the car."

"Ohhh ... almost forgot about that one."

%*&^%

Room paid for and keys gotten, they walked about half-mile 
down the road and found dinner at a diner with just the 
right kind of greasy atmosphere. 

Later on, as they walked back to the hotel in the setting 
sun, Scully commented, "I'm gonna gain about 80 pounds 
on this trip."

"So will I. We can be fat together and laugh at all the 
skinny people while we eat waffles and peach pie."

She had to laugh at this, "I have no idea where the real 
Mulder and Scully are but I'm going to have a real hard 
time letting these crazy ones go when we get back home."

"I believe they're stuffed in the luggage somewhere, along 
with the ties and sensible shoes. And I for one am leaving 
them there for the duration." 

Once back at the car, Mulder tossed Scully her small 
suitcase, grabbed his and the bag of food from the backseat 
and headed for the room door. Walking in, "window or door 
side?"

"Window." 

Mulder dumped his armload on the bed by the door, "you 
want to shower first?"

"Naw, I'll take one in the morning. I'm going to finish 
this great piece of literature."

$&%&&%

From his darkened side of the room, "Scully?"

"Yeah?"

"If I suggested we go buy us some pudding, get naked and 
have some fun ... would you be offended?"

Already curled on top of her sheets and nearly asleep, 
"not as long as it was chocolate and your tongue thought 
it was up to the challenge."

"So much temptation, so little time."

Scully rolled over to face him, "you have this thing with 
asking me sex questions in hotel rooms in the middle of 
the night."

"Sorry. It's in my nature to be curious."

Rolling back over, "one of these days, we're gonna have 
to give it a whirl and see how good we can be."

"Wh, wh ... what?"

He could hear the smile in her reply, "good night Mulder."

Really wishing he could get up and take a cold shower, he 
forced himself to lay there and silently recite the 
batting averages of the New York Yankees - 1978-79 season.

$&*%$&(*#

Mulder pried his eyes opening when a strange sound 
penetrated his dreams. Lifting his head a bit off the 
pillow, he heard the shower running and grinned suddenly 
when he realized the sound he heard was his partner, 
singing Sarah McLachlan off-key.

Laying his head back down, he relished in how comfortable 
Scully must be to forget he was in the next room. He 
continued to listen to the splashing and to the string of 
interesting titles drifting from the bathroom. He was 
downright shocked when she launched into Nine Inch Nails 
'Closer'. For one brief shining second, he considered just 
stripping down and hopping under the water with her but 
then he realized he'd be dead about two seconds after that. 
And granted they'd be a mind-blowing two seconds, he 
contented himself with the sound of his Scully in the 
shower.

$&%^

Around mid-afternoon, Scully pulled them over at a 
roadside flea market. Dragging Mulder behind her, "I 
saw a sign for fresh peaches ... now we just need to 
find them."

Twenty minutes and two hot dogs later, they got back in 
the car ... peaches in a bag in the back seat. "Can I 
just say, that was one of the scariest experiences I've 
ever had."

"You've never been to one of those before?"

"Scully, it scares me even more that you have."

Swatting him on the arm, "come on. Where else in the 
world are you going to find Beanie Babies, peaches, tea 
cozies, rifles, lawn ornaments, candles, vinyl records 
and the ever popular cowboy hats without walking more 
than 30 feet?"

"I was rather impressed with that old lady's collection 
of hand-knitted toilet paper covers."

%^%&^*(*&

Mulder's bladder got the better of him a few hours later 
and once he took care of that behind a rather large scrub 
tree, he came back and leaned in the passenger window, 
"how 'bout we crack open those peaches back there?"

Opening the door, Mulder sat sideways on the lower rim 
inside of the door and Scully stayed in her seat. With the 
first bite, Mulder had juice running down his chin and she 
couldn't help but reach out and wipe it with her finger, 
"you're worse than my nephews." Licking her finger, 
"although this is much tastier than strained peas." Mulder 
continued to eat messily and Scully continued her cleaning 
of his chin, to the amusement of both. "If I didn't know 
any better, I'd think you liked me doing this?"

He was way to relaxed and happy to stop himself, "the only 
way it could get better is if you used your tongue."

Biting the inside of her lip, the next time the juice 
dribbled, she went in quickly, her tongue barely grazing 
his chin. Sitting back, she reddened as he smiled and 
took another bite of his fruit.

Neither said anything but Scully did go in one more time 
once Mulder had finished, "have to make sure I get it all."

He held her gaze for a long moment, "thanks."

"No problem." She tossed the peach pits over his shoulder, 
"ready to head out?"

"Yup. Wanna drive for awhile?"

"I guess that means I have to put my shoes back on." 
Wiggling her toes at him, "they love to be free."

He began laughing, "we'll stop in awhile, then you can 
run around with naked feet all you want. I'll even massage 
each and every toe to make sure they weren't traumatized 
by their confinement."

"You're a pretty good guy."

Settling himself in the passenger seat, "you're a pretty 
good woman yourself."

$&%^$*&*

Mulder fell asleep soon after they started down the road 
and Scully dug around in the bag at his feet, unearthing 
the CD's they'd bought back in Yuma. Ripping open one of 
the three dollar classic rock one's, she slid it into the 
player and happily began singing along. 

He decided to pretend to still be asleep so she would 
continue. He made it for quite awhile until 'Brown-eyed Girl' 
came on. He couldn't help himself at this point and he 
jumped in, changed the eye color to green. 

She looked over at him with a smile and continued with 
'my blue-eyed boy'.

Once the song was finished, Scully turned the radio off 
and Mulder complimented her, "you don't sing half bad."

"Yeah ... you must really have a massive amount of wax 
jammed in your ears. I've been known to crack mirrors 
and send listeners screaming into the night."

"I think you sound fine and mine is the only opinion 
that should count for anything."

Managing to smile with the side of her face that pointed 
away from Mulder, "getting awfully high and mighty over 
there aren't we?"

"No. Just wanted to make sure you knew I liked listening 
to you." Shrugging his shoulders, "I like that you're 
comfortable enough to let go in front of me."

To lighten the mood back up, "you'll want to take that 
back once I start belching and picking my nose."

Pulling out several of the magazines he'd bought and 
stacking his bare feet on the dash, "wait until I start 
scratching my ass and farting ... then we'll see who 
lasts." With a final eyebrow wiggle, he began his reading.

"Oh god."

"Exactly."

$^%$&%

To Mulder's amusement, the hotel they found for the night 
had a pool. It required another trip to a Wal-Mart for 
suits but Mulder thought it well worth the time when 
Scully came out of the bathroom in a perfectly fit electric 
blue bathing suit. Grabbing two towels, Scully left the 
room first, Mulder following along, thanking the gods 
every step for the view in front of him.

The pool was cool and only one or two other people were 
in it when the pair arrived. Once they had spent about an 
hour horsing around, Scully hauled herself out of the 
water, sitting on the edge while Mulder continued his laps, 
good-naturedly splashing her when he went by.

Finally stopping, Mulder swam over in front of Scully, 
"hey there."

"Hey yourself."

"Did you know you look mighty fine in blue?"

"Did you know your hair needs cutting?"

With a heave, Mulder pulled himself up next to her, both 
their feet dangling, "we're gonna have a hell of a storm 
tonight."

Surveying the black clouds rolling toward them from the 
west and the thunder that rumbled as if on cue, Scully 
asked, "ready to head up and find some dinner before it 
gets too bad?"

"Yup. I've seen you soaked in a bathing suit, I'm good 
for the evening." Grinning, he pulled her up next to him, 
"I think we passed a Kentucky Fried Chicken down the road."

$&%&$&%

Chicken eaten and rain pounding on the windows, Mulder 
climbed onto Scully's bed and sat against the headboard, 
pulling her feet onto his lap, "ready for you massage?"

Shutting her eyes, "rub away partner."

As he began, "have you realized Scully, that we haven't 
fought or argued once since we left."

"Why would we argue?"

"We always seem to be fighting about something."

"But those something's always involve work. The few times 
we're together and not focusing on work, we do great." 
Propping herself up on her elbows and looking down at him, 
"even when we do argue, it's usually enjoyable. Not many 
people know how to fight like you and I do."

He laughed, "true." Switching to her other foot, "do you 
think we could just stay here? Have your mom mail me my 
fish and some clean underwear."

She pushed at his stomach with her free toes, "you would 
go nuts in about two days."

"Not if you were here with me."

"Are you getting fresh with me Mr. Mulder?"

Giving up on the massage for the moment, he lightly 
dragged his finger along the sole of her foot, "not so 
much fresh as completely honest. And speaking of completely 
honest, I have this sudden urge to tickle you until you 
squeal for mercy."

With that half-assed warning, he dove in, attacking her 
feet first, then moving up to behind her knees and finally 
ending up at her ribs. 

She didn't have much time to prepare and the sudden 
assault broke any resolve she had. Trying valiantly to 
escape Mulder's fingers, she finally just laid there and 
laughed, tears running down her cheeks, gasping for breath.

Mulder stopped a few minutes later, nearly turning blue 
at the sight of Scully huddled in a ball, her face the 
color of a ripe tomato. "Give up m'lady?"

"Never." With that said, she flipped him over and sitting 
on his stomach, went after his ribs, "remember, I used to 
have to fight with two older brothers."

She didn't make it too long before collapsing onto the 
bed next to Mulder. Both lay there in silence, catching 
their breath. Finally he spoke, "you're the best opponent 
I ever had."

Flipping onto her stomach, she stretched and kissed Mulder 
on the chin, "thanks. You weren't too bad yourself." 

The smile she had on her face sent blood rushing from 
his head and before he thought, "do we have anymore of 
those peaches left?"

Not catching on, "yeah but they're in the car."

"Oh, yeah. Forgot ... um, should I continue with your feet?"

She stretched her arms in front of her and closed her 
eyes, "not right now. I think I'm gonna fall asleep right 
here if you don't mind."

With a crooked smile, "not at all."

#^^$^#

The next morning, sticking her head out the shower curtain 
in response to Mulder's incessant banging, "what?"

"Can I come in and get my toothbrush? I can taste that 
apple turnover from dessert last night and it's disgusting."

Pulling the curtain shut again, she yelled, "yes."

When he opened the door, a cloud of steam hit him square 
in the face, instantly curling that one annoying piece of 
hair that continually eluded the barber. Loading his 
toothbrush full of paste, he wiped a clear spot on the 
mirror and proceeded to saw at his teeth.

Taking another look outside the shower curtain, Scully 
was quite shocked to see him standing there, innocently 
foaming at the mouth, "why are you still here?"


"I wanted to re-enact 'Psycho' but I figured I had better 
clean up a bit before I stabbed you thirty-seven times 
with a rusty butter knife." Calmly he put the yellow plastic 
handle back in his mouth and continued the task at hand.

Not to be sidetracked, "I'm taking a shower Mulder."

"I never would have realized it through all the steam."

Allowing one exasperated grumble to escape her throat, 
Scully returned to the job of rinsing the shampoo out of 
her hair. Turning the water off a few minutes later, "if 
you don't get out of here in exactly three seconds, you're 
gonna find that toothbrush cleaning a whole 'nother part 
of your anatomy." Hearing the door shut a second later, 
Scully glanced out, a satisfied grin on her face. Not 
bothering to dry very well, she got herself dressed in 
record time and left the bathroom, only to run directly 
into Mulder just outside the door. Catching sight, "why 
do you have half your face full of shaving cream?"

"With all the steam, I figured I had better shave while I 
was at it." Holding the razor up, he flashed her that 
pitiful look he had mastered five seconds after they had 
met, "but I got run out before I finished." Grinning at 
her, "although I do kind of enjoy that whole no bra, wet 
t-shirt look you got going on."

&^)&*^_

Mulder returned to his shaving and Scully came back to 
the bathroom, perching herself on the counter and beginning 
to comb the knots out of her hair, enjoying the pained 
look on Mulder's face every time she yanked particularly 
hard. 

"Are you going to have any hair left when you're finished?"

"Plenty Mulder. Believe me." Extracting the last tangle, 
she laid the brush back on the counter, "I'm just glad I 
got rid of the long hair years ago."

Rinsing the razor for the last time, Mulder bent forward 
and examined a nick on his chin, "I like long hair."

Roughing his head to get the hair to stand up more than 
usual, "then grow it out."

"Yeah, like I don't get laughed at enough already."  
Hanging up the towel he had been using, "I meant I think 
you'd look good in long hair."

Sliding off the counter and turning to look in the mirror, 
"I can't even imagine."

"Quit fishing for another compliment; you know you'd look 
good completely bald." Flicking the light switch off, 
"come on, breakfast awaits."

$%&$^%

That day they left New Mexico and headed into the panhandle 
of Texas, "should we try that Astrodome free beer thing 
again?"

Scully gave him a feigned anger look, "I'm not staying in 
Texas any longer than we have to. I've decided I don't 
like it here."

"Come on though ... everything's bigger in Texas ... we 
could have some fun."

"A woman can only accommodate so much Mulder."

"And such good accommodations they are too."

Glancing sideways at him, "wouldn't you like to know?"

In all the seriousness he could muster given the fact 
that she was wearing a t-shirt that said 'Squeeze me, 
I'm Irish', "that's probably not the safest question 
to ask me considering the suggestion on your shirt."

With a shrug and a gleam in her eye, "the shirt can be 
taken many different ways Mulder."

"I wouldn't doubt you can ... I mean, they can." Not 
knowing how to rescue himself from the foot wedged in 
his mouth, "sorry ... I don't doubt it can ... is it 
my turn to drive yet?"

$&%&$&%

Leaving Texas behind, they found a decent hotel outside 
Oklahoma City. Another storm was brewing and it was 
beginning to rain when they finally got in their room. 
They'd gotten dinner out of the way about half an hour 
before and once everything was squared away in the room, 
Mulder pulled out the remaining peaches, "desert?"

"In a minute."

Nodding, he took a large bite from his, the juice yet 
again running down his chin. He was about to wipe it off 
when Scully's hand stopped him, "that's my job isn't it?"

His eyes grew big as Scully leaned in, slowly licking 
the juice, her tongue sliding over the cleft in his chin. 
When finished, she backed away a foot or so, "I am so in 
the mood for chocolate pudding."

Mulder nearly choked when he heard this, "what?"

With a shrug and a mischievous smile, "chocolate pudding 
just sounds really good at the moment."

"Um, can you hold that thought for a minute or two?" He 
stood and headed for the door to the hall, "I'll be 
right back."

Not even wanting to think of just what Scully had possibly 
implied, he headed down the hallway to the vending machine 
and the ice-locker. "Hah," he pointed into the machine, 
"I knew you were in there." Mulder came back into the room 
a minute later with five chocolate pudding cups in his 
hands, "vending machine down the hall."

"Good observing."

Now being at a total loss for what to do next, he stupidly 
handed her a cup, "bon apetit."

"No spoon."

"Oh ... um, I can go find you one."

Pulling the lid off and dipping her finger in, "naw ... 
don't need one ... this'll do fine." Clumsily licking her 
finger so some of the pudding landing on her chin, 
"although it's only polite to share."

Mulder decided he had somehow died and managed to get 
into heaven. He opted not to question a thing as he leaned 
forward and swiped the pudding with his tongue. 
Swallowing it, "not bad."

Scully's eyes shut for the briefest of moments when Mulder 
touched her and she now opened her eyes once again, a faint 
smile on her lips, "would you like some more?"

"Yes."

Dipping her finger back in the container, she held it out 
to him, "here you go."

The minute her finger slid over his lips and dragged along 
his bottom teeth, his heart began to pound. When she 
slipped back out, he became a bit bolder and dipped his 
own finger in, tentatively tracing a line of pudding along 
her jawbone. "Do you mind?"

Her eyes were already sparking, "not at all."

He leaned in again, this time aiming for her cheek. His 
tongue moved slowly from near her chin up to her ear, 
taking its time, relishing in the action. When finished 
he sat back, "this is much better than peaches."

Chuckling, "I would have to agree." It was now her turn 
and, with another loaded finger of pudding, she drew a 
circling design on his neck. Tilting her head a bit, she 
drew out the licking and by the time she was finished, 
Mulder's head was spinning.

Bold as he could be under the circumstances, "I bet your 
back would be a nice drawing surface."

In total amazement, he watched her slip her t-shirt off, 
revealing her backless bathing suit, "wasn't sure if we 
were going swimming or not." She lay down on her stomach 
across the bed, a smile playing on her lips, "although at 
the moment, I'd say we're not."

Mulder grinned back as he spread a generous amount of 
chocolate on her, writing the first thing that came into 
his head, his initials. Part kissing, part licking the 
dessert off, "I honestly didn't know pudding could ever be 
this good."

With a bit of a waver in her voice, "neither did I."

Switching back and forth like this, Scully finished the 
last cup of pudding, which she had placed in the hollows 
of Mulder's lower back. Sitting up once again, "that was 
the best dessert I've ever had."

Mulder sat up and faced her with a grin, "yeah ... I'd 
have to agree. And that was entirely too much fun. I just 
have one question ..."

Returning the smile, "yeah?"

"What got into you?"

"Me? Oh, I was just hungry."

Bursting into laughter, "I really, really like you hungry."

"I'm usually quite hungry actually although, at the moment, 
I'm kind of sticky."

Pointing towards the bathroom, "shower woman."

As she past him, she dropped a kiss on the top of his head, 
"I'll save you some hot water."

Just before the door closed, Mulder informed her, "don't 
worry. I'll be needing the cold."

$&^*^$*(

Mulder walked back into the room after his shower and was 
about to ask Scully where she stashed the Q-Tips when he 
found her, already fast asleep, curled on top of her sheets.

He dug around in her bag until he found what he wanted, 
then he turned off the lights and lay down in the other 
bed, content with watching her until he fell asleep with 
a smile on his face.

$&%^$%

"We need to find a laundry mat today."

"Or we could just go naked."

"You are incorrigible Mr. Mulder."

"And I still think we should go around naked."

Scully threw a sunflower seed at his head, "remind me also 
to smack you for getting me hooked on these damn seeds."

"Oohh, smacking!!! This gets better and better."

She finally gave up, "I'm learning way too much about you 
on this trip."

"That's what vacations are for Scully ... to learn new and 
semi-frightening things about the people you're with, to 
throw caution to the wind, to eat as much chocolate pudding 
as humanly possible."

Changing the subject quickly, before she revealed what else 
she liked besides pudding, "I also need to find a church."

"Nice topic switch ..." nodding his approval, "for tonight 
or tomorrow?"

"Tonight if at all possible. Then we can leave tomorrow 
whenever we want."

Once they'd reached Memphis, they began looking for signs 
for either a church or a laundry mat. Both were found within 
a couple of miles of each other and a hotel wasn't much 
further down the road. Finding that the mass would start 
in an hour, they hit the hotel immediately.

Pulling out some of her more professional clothes, Scully 
made a face, "I never knew how much I disliked pants 
and heels."

Mulder began digging for his own dress pants and shirt, 
"would God really care if you showed up in a pair of clean 
shorts and sandals?"

"First off, God may not mind but my mother would sense it 
and read me the riot act when we got home. Second," 
pointing to Mulder's suitcase, "why are you putting on 
those to go do laundry?"

Holding up the least wrinkled shirt in the bunch, "too 
dressy?" Receiving a smile, he continued, "actually, I 
thought I'd go to church with you, if you don't mind?"

With a bit of confusion creasing her forehead, "no, 
that'd be fine. I just never expected you to want to go."

"Every so often I find the need to throw you a curve ball."

"Just make sure you don't give me a black eye in the 
process."

$&%&&%&$&

As they walked towards the steps into the church, Mulder 
slowed a bit, "you think I can make it in without getting 
struck by lightning?"

"Yes ... you'll be fine ... just make sure to walk a few 
steps behind me."

"You think you're cute don't you?"

Dropping her voice to a whisper when they went in, "so 
do you."

Halfway through the service, Scully reached over for 
Mulder's hand during the 'Our Father'. When finished, 
the rest of the congregation let go but Mulder, giving 
her a quick smile, continued to grip her hand.

With the final song, mass finished and the pair made their 
way back to the car. "Thank you for coming with me."

"Just satisfying a curiosity."

" Must have been some curiosity."

"That, and I didn't want you to have to go alone." 

Settling in the car, Mulder turned it on and headed for 
the laundry mat. Once inside, Scully bought some soap and 
threw both loads in separate machine. "It was nice having 
someone with me."

Mulder looked up from the coin slot he was feeding quarters 
into, "huh?"

"I usually do go alone."

"You're mom doesn't go with you?"

Shaking her head, "no. She was angry when I stopped going 
awhile back and it's turned into a sore and silent point 
that we avoid at all costs." Shrugging her shoulders, 
"and now I'm too stubborn to ask her to go with me because 
I don't want her to think it was her who persuaded me 
to go back."

"Then why'd you go back at all?"

With a bite to her bottom lip, she hoisted herself to sit 
on one of the empty machines, "that's the thing ... I'm 
not really sure."

Mulder started the machines, then came to stand in front 
of her, "if you tell your mom that ... she'll be satisfied. 
She knows you better than anyone and she knows when you 
have more of an answer, you'll share it with her." Leaning 
his forehead against hers, "she loves you Scully and she'd 
love it if you went back to church with her."

Chuckling, "when did you become the big solver of religious 
crises, oh great pagan?"

"It's the scent of bleach in here ... gives me a bit of a 
high."

"Maybe we ought to get you some food ... make sure you 

don't get more light headed."

With a smirk that threatened to injure his face, "about the 
only thing that could make me light-headed is watching 
you sitting on that washing machine during the spin cycle."

Never before had he seen her turn such a bright shade of red. 
Sliding off the machine and past Mulder, "I'm starving ... 
um, how 'bout you stay here and I'll go get us something?"

Not waiting for a reply, she headed out the door, leaving 
Mulder, "who said this vacation couldn't get more 
interesting?"

$%$&^%$

The rest of the time in the laundry mat was spent in light 
conversation and an endless card game of Nertz. Returning 
to the hotel and packing away all their now clean laundry, 
"feel like a swim?"

"Sure ... just let me find my suit."

Scully tossed it to him, "it was with my stuff."

Heading into the bathroom, "cool. Back in a minute." Given 
that the pool was about 12 feet from their door, Scully was 
already dangling her feet in when Mulder arrived a few 
minutes later, "that didn't take long."

"I just like to swim." Pointing over to the sign, "and 
the pool is actually closed already but that manager guy 
was out here and said it'd be fine as long as we're quiet."

Slipping silently into the water, "does that mean no 
dunking wars?"

"Yes Mulder, no screaming banshee noises either."

"Then why the hell are we out here anyway?"

"Because we're on vacation."

Half-threatening to pull her into the water, "then how 
come I'm the only one in here?"

Flicking some water at him with her toes, "geez, you on 
some kind of time schedule?"


"No, just like you wet."

With a raised eyebrow at his obvious double meaning, 
"you're horrible."

"And you love it ..." as he reached up and pulled her in 
with him, "you know you do."

She laughed and ducked her head, coming up with water 
dripping in her eyes, "you look much more attractive 
blurry."

"Oooh, you're gonna get it now." He commenced in trying 
to grab her and force her under the water but she kept 
managing to slip away, always just out of reach. 

They began to get loud and Scully surrendered with her 
hands up, "hold it. Truce. I'll give up if you quiet 
down a bit."

Mulder stopped and glided toward her, eye-level with 
the water. Stopping just in front of her, he surfaced, 
"submissive, I like it."

Chuckling at him, "you wish."

Suddenly turning more sober, "no I don't. I like you 
just the way you are."

Being in such close proximity, she saw his eyes darken 
and before she could close her mouth, "ever been skinny 
dipping?"

"Just in the bathtub. You?"

With her heart already pounding faster, "not 'til 
tonight."

Mulder pushed himself back across the pool and in one 
movement, his swim trunks were floating next to his head, 
"your turn."

Scully's breath caught in her throat and she stared at 
him for a moment before slowly shimmying out of her suit, 
wadding it up and setting it on the concrete. 

He swam back towards her and stopped a foot away, tossing 
his suit next to hers, "well?"

It was at this point that Scully burst into laughter, "I 
have no idea. I didn't even know I was thinking it 'til it 
fell out of my mouth."

Matching her smile, "that's the way some of the greatest 
ideas came to fruition."

"Of course, everybody knows Einstein spouted off the Theory 
of Relativity while playing a heated game of Euchre. He went 
to call trump and the theory of the universe came out 
instead."

"Did you know that I had a black swim teacher named Mr. 
White and a white English teacher named Mrs. Black?"

"Did you know that I have an uncle named Carrol?"

"Did you know you were put on this earth to make me 
crazy?"

Splashing him as she quickly swam by, "do you know how much 
I enjoy it?"

Mulder willed himself not to go under water to have a 
quick peak but swam quickly after her, desperately wanting 
to catch her but not allowing himself to. He honestly had 
no idea where he'd be able to grab her without overloading 
his circuits. 

It was only a few minutes later that Mulder heard the 
gate creak and a voice call quietly to them, "excuse me?"

All activity ceased, "are we being too loud?"

"No, but one of the guests says the light out here is 
keeping her awake. I've got to turn it off."

"Okay. We'll be out in a second."

"Thanks. Have a good night."

The manager switched the power off and in the semi-darkness, 
Scully quietly asked, "do you think he saw our suits?"

Swimming over to them and handing Scully hers, "if he did, 
he didn't seem to concerned. I'm sure him and his wife 
have had a turn or two in here as well."

"That is entirely too much information Mulder."

With a grin, he pulled his suit on and climbed out of the 
pool, "come on. I hear the cards calling."

$&%&$&%

After they both showered and changed into dry things, 
instead of playing cards, Mulder patted the bedspread next 
to him, "I need to talk to you for a minute."

Scully eyed him suspiciously as she slowly sat down, 
"okay."

"I've know you for what, eight, twenty, a hundred years 
now ..."

"Yeah. Around that."

"And in these last few days we've learned a lot about 
each other ... our quirky habits, your need to be licked, 
my need to make constant use of sexual innuendo. Well, 
I'd just like to say thank you for letting me see this 
miscreant, lewd side of you and for allowing me to eat 
pudding from your belly button. I mean, it's not every 
day that my serious minded, studious partner permits me 
to draw pornographic pictures on her back and then slurp 
them off. So thank you again Scully."

Mulder said this in such a straight-faced way that Scully 
could only answer back with an equally serious, "you're 
welcome Mulder."

Still in a grave tone, "and knowing that you've enjoyed 
our snacking together, I feel it only fair to warn you 
that I have several cans of whipped cream and I'm not 
afraid to use them." With that, Mulder grabbed a can from 
under his pillow and giving it a quick shake, sprayed in 
the area of Scully's neck. Before she could react to anything, 
he turned around and pushed her onto her back, playfully 
snapping at the white foam and getting it all over his 
face in the process.

Scully howled in laughter and Mulder shot some more cream, 
going in for a second round. 

Finally, giggling got the better of them and Mulder 
surveyed the situation, "mee thinks this is very fun 
game."

"Mee thinks this is a very messy game."

Looking down at his now sticky shirt, "mee thinks I set 
a new record for getting clothes dirty."

"Mee thinks you thinks correctly."

Pulling it over his head, "do you mind?"

"Nope." Picking up the cast aside can of whipped cream, 
"this just makes my revenge easier." She pointed the 
nozzle in his direction and let a long stream fly, 
covering the upper part of his chest.

With narrowed eyes, "now how in the world am I supposed 
to get this off huh?"

"Easy enough for someone with an appetite for sugar." 
Flopping him back, she climbed onto his hips, "you always 
wondered what it'd be like if I was on top."

Nodding his head vigorously, "yeah ... yeah I have."

"Good?" She then leaned over and swiped a mouthful for 
herself, "how're you doing?"

"Really, really wonderfully. But I did want to ask you a 
question."

With another lick, "fire away."

"Where have you been hiding this side of you?"

"In the file cabinets under F for Food Fetish." Slowly 
she cleaned Mulder up, then sat up again, "you must not 
have dug far enough."

Nudging her off him, he sat up, can in hand, "can I 
start digging then?"

Licking the last bit of cream of her lip, "and where 
would you like to begin?"

"Well, I was thinking that the best place to begin would 
probably be the belly button, you know. Central location, 
fairly easy access ..."

Wrinkling her forehead in deep thought, "that would 
involve removal of certain attire. I'm not sure if that's 
in the contract."

"Is the holding party willing to renegotiate?"

"Probably."

He grinned at her and stuck his finger in the dent of her 
shirt where the target area was, "I would like that please."

"So pushy." Smiling and sitting up, she pulled her shirt 
off without hesitation. Settling back down, "the floor 
is yours."

Now, the fact that she even proposed this made him dizzy 
but when the shirt came off and her bare belly was 
exposed, it nearly killed him. It took him a minute to 
register the white lace bra but when he did, he drew in 
a quick breath, "god I love Whipped Cream."

Scully began laughing, her stomach shaking, "such inspiring 
words."

Filling her belly button and a small surrounding area, he 
leaned down, "such inspiration."

$&%&$&%&

She commenced to her drawing of geometric shapes on 
Mulder's back, making him guess them before she'd lick 
them, "it's only fair to bring in the educational aspect 
of dessert toppings."

Swapping places and becoming bolder, "you know Scully, 
I'm afraid I'm going to get this all over those shorts 
you stole from me. I'd hate to ruin them."

Scully glanced down at the faded blue sweatshirt material 
and nearly washed off Knicks emblem, "we are tempting 
fate." Sitting up, she pulled the shorts off, and laid 
on her side, "I believe my thigh makes a good writing 
surface. At least it did when I was three and drew all 
over myself in permanent marker."

Mulder composed himself well, "I never pegged you for a 
neon-pink underwear wearer."

With a shrug, "I have a bit of a wild side."

"Yah think?"

$&%&&%&

They nearly finished the first can on the backs of Mulder's 
knees and Scully sat contemplating what to do with the 
last dollop. With a twinkle in her eye, she spread it over 
her collar bone, "new rules ... one person picks the spot 
and the other does the licking."

"Oh I could learn to love this game." Mulder, instead of 
attacking her neck like the previous time, he moved much 
slower, dragging his tongue from shoulder inward. 

This also gave him prime cleavage viewing and Scully caught 
him, "are we having fun?"

Looking up, "yeah ... you could say that."

She handed him the new can with a smile, "your turn."

"Can I make one more rule suggestion?"


"Sure."

Given that there was no blood left in his head, he went 
for broke, "how about I get to pick the spot again?"

It was at this point that both decided there was no 
stopping tonight and Scully answered with a half-smile, 
"fair enough. Where would you like it?"

Mulder's voice cracked, "please tell me this isn't a 
dream?"

"No dream. I promise."

"Then I want some there." He shyly aimed the can at 
her chest, "if that's all right?"

"I've been waiting for you to ask for the last hour." 
Sitting up, she unhooked herself and took the can from 
his hand, "shut your eyes." 

Shutting them immediately, he heard her laying on a 
layer of cream. He waited impatiently until she told 
him he could look again and when he opened his eyes, 
his field of vision was taken up by mounds of whipped 
cream and a grinning, flushed Scully on her back.

Not saying a word, he moved slowly up her belly and 
carved a path between her breasts before heading around the 
base of the inviting hill on his left. Spiraling his way 
upward, his tongue ran gently into Scully's now rock hard 
nipple at the top. Keeping his eyes on her face, Mulder 
slid his tongue around her and finally slowly sucked the 
nipple in. 

Scully knew he was close but when he actually did it, she 
involuntarily drew in a sharp breath and her whole body 
tensed. The only thought in her head at the moment was that 
if he's this good with his pants still on ...

But that lone thought was chased away as Mulder began his 
nibbling with more pressure and soon after, his hand 
wandered up to assist. 

As he kneaded away, he tried to get as much of her breast 
in his mouth as possible. He would have stayed here forever, 
but he was interrupted by Scully's shaky voice, "um, Mulder?"

Hating to leave her nipple for too long, he hovered an 
inch above, "yeah?"

"The ... ah ... the other one's feeling neglected."

Chuckling at the earnestness in her voice, "we can't have 
that now can we?" He straddled her hips and leaned in to 
enjoy his second dessert, cleaning it expertly ... making 
small noises escape from Scully's throat in the process. 

$&%&$&

A few minutes later, his tongue made a leisurely trek back 
down her chest and returned to her belly button. Sitting 
up once again, he licked his lips and grinned at her 
flushed cheeks, "you realize I won't be able to keep my 
hands off you anymore."

"Mulder, you can have me any time you want me."  

He went back in for a quick nibble on her neck, "I'd like 
you now please."

Pushing him gently on his shoulders, she rolled him onto 
the bed next to her, then stood up with the can of 
whipped cream, "but first we have to even things up a 
bit." Shaking the can, "I get to choose next right?"

Her beautifully bare breasts and her wicked little grin 
sent a shiver up his spine, "yup. I'm all yours."

"Good. Then I's in need of your bare ass's."

Vainly attempting to keep his voice steady, "you know, 
once these shorts come off, I don't think I'll be able to 
stuff myself back in them ... if you know what I mean."

She chuckled at him, "who says they have to go back on 
anytime soon?"

Mulder stood up and motioned for her to turn around, "avert 
your eyes woman."

Scully turned as ordered and a few seconds later, Mulder 
told her to turn back around. The sight of her partner face 
down on the bed, naked as the day he was born drove off 
her last lingering doubt about the night's events. As 
quietly as possible, she slid off her underwear and climbed 
up to sit on Mulder's calves.

Now Mulder had been holding on to a semblance of control 
up until this point but when Scully shot a dollop of whip 
cream on his left cheek, then leaning in to swipe it off 
into her mouth, "you realize you're slowly killing me 
right?"

Mirroring her actions on his right side, "then I probably 
shouldn't tell you I'm as naked as you at the moment."

That statement pushed him over the precarious edge he had 
been teetering on, "I don't think we need the whipped 
cream anymore."

Scully leaned over to set the can on the nightstand, then 
she stood back up, "I'd have to agree with you on this one." 
Mulder rolled over then and Scully got her first good long, 
erect look at him. Licking her lips involuntarily, 
"I want that."

"You can have anything you want."

Climbing on and grinding herself on him a bit, she leaned 
forward, "first I would like a kiss."

He reached one hand to her neck and pulled her down, 
tongues tangling immediately. Coming up for air a few 
minutes later, Mulder brushed some of the flopping curls 
from her face, pushing them behind her ears, "do you have 
any idea how beautiful you are?"

"Do you have any idea how horny seven years of foreplay 
has made me?"

Mulder couldn't help but laugh, "you're the last person 
I ever expected to be using the word 'horny'."

Moving her hips slightly so Mulder could feel how wet she 
was against his penis, "it's a good description though 
isn't it?"

"Hell yeah." Grasping her hips, he rolled them over gently 
so Scully was now on the bottom. Sliding slowly down her 
body, he knelt on the floor in front of her, spreading 
her thighs wider, "and what's a few more minutes of 
teasing?"

Lowering his head, he flicked his tongue out, rewarded 
immediately with contact of Scully's already swollen 
clit. A cross between a gasp and a moan emerged from 
Scully's throat, causing Mulder to grin and lick harder. 

The roughness of his tongue sent tingles from her toes 
up to her head and then back again to settle low in her 
stomach, "pure and utter torture."

"Should I continue?"

"You can do whatever you want."

Drawing back his head for a minute, then hesitantly 
sliding a finger into her, "is this alright?"

Scully hadn't been expecting that and after a minute or 
two of his finger pressing and rubbing on her inner muscles, 
"um ... Mulder ... I don't mean to sound vulgar but I 
really need to fuck you right now."

Mulder's finger teased her a few more seconds, then he 
stood up, settling his penis just inside her, "just say 
when."

She hooked her feet around his back and pulled him towards 
her, "when." Her muscles were tight and as he pushed 
into her, the sensations drove him crazy. Only the grip 
of her legs kept him still as she whispered hoarsely, 
"oh God Mulder, I've wanted you forever."

Forcing himself to hold onto a bit of control, "can I 
start yet?"

Her hips slowly began rocking back and forth and her grip 
on his lessened, "please."

Reaching down, he firmly grasped her hips and began moving 
in and out of her. The view he had was amazing and it was 
only when she said his name did he look up. Her face was 
flushed and a thin sheen of moisture covered her body, 
"harder."

"No need to ask twice." He began moving more swiftly, 
pounding harder into her until her eyes rolled back and 
her fists gripped the sheets. He also began pulling her 
hips towards him at the same time, driving himself deeper 
into her. 

She came only a moment later; her muscles contracting 
around him at the same time she growled his name from 
her clenched teeth.

$&%&$&%

A minute later, Mulder had stilled, entranced by the 
emotions chasing their way across his partner's face. 

When Scully opened her eyes, she had to force herself to 
focus, "my God Mulder."

Still inside her and hard as a rock, he smiled, "ready 
to go again?"

It took her a minute to realize, "you didn't come?"

"Not yet." Grinning wickedly at her, "I want to make you 
come again so I held off."

"So, can I get you?"

Now in full tease, "probably."

"Would it help if I flipped over for you?"

This suggestion drove the power of speech from Mulder's 
mind momentarily and he could only nod vigorously. He 
backed out of her gently and when he finally left 
completely, Scully shuddered, "we need to do this more 
often."

As she rolled over and got back up on her hands and knees, 
Mulder couldn't help but agree, "definitely more often."

Making sure she was still slick, he guided himself back 
into his now favorite spot in the world. Knowing he would 
only last a minute at most, "can I start?"

She moved her hips back in response and that was all the 
incentive Mulder needed. There would be no slow start 
for him this time. He began immediately, using his free 
hands to alternately fondle Scully's breasts and play 
with her clit at the same time. 

The position worked Scully into a frenzy much faster than 
Mulder had expected and just as he was about to come, 
Scully's muscles began contracting again. This pushed him 
over the edge and he released seven years of sexual tension 
in roughly 14 seconds with Scully not far behind. 

$&%&$&%

They opted to sleep in the next day ... awakening around 
noon only because Mulder's stomach growled loudly.

"A bit hungry?"

Mulder, who's head was buried in the back of Scully's neck, 
"it's a lot of work keeping up with you."

Shivering in the delight of having his breath on her skin, 
"would you like me to slow down a bit next time?"

"Are you kidding?" Squeezing her closer, "as long as we 
get to have a next time ... you can go any speed you want."

"Wait ..." Pulling away from him and turning over onto her 
back, "why wouldn't we have a next time?"

"Come on Scully ...  I just meant that once we get back to 
DC, we've got to keep an eye out again. If they find this 
out, who knows what'll happen."

She sat up and twisted so she was facing him, "I'm tired 
of 'them' Mulder. I want 'us' ... we make a very good 'us' 
and I'm not going to give 'us' up."

Sitting up as well, "honey, 'we' aren't going anywhere ... 
I plan on waking up with you every morning from now on ... 
be it in your bed, my bed, some hotel in Liberal, Kansas ..." 
continuing to count off places on his fingers, "jail, a 
snowcat, a car, a bedroom floor ..."

Scully was beginning to smile, "I'm sorry ... I know we 
have to keep things under wraps but there is no conceivable 
way I'm ever letting you go."

"You could tie me up if you wanted too."

By now she was laughing, "oh god ..."

"Be happy ... I nearly shouted "Look Ma, No Hands!" when 
you were on your knees last night."

$&%&$&%

Any awkwardness that might have been between them 
disappeared when Mulder bellowed his phrase and given 
the fact that Scully looked even more beautiful all 
tossle-haired and naked in the morning ... they didn't 
actually get out of bed and showered until almost two.

"Now I really need food."

"Quit your belly-aching ... oops, bad phrasing ... quit your 
complaining. We eat in about 15 minutes."

Mulder commenced to tossing clothes and other assorted 
sundries in their bags, "I am in such a mood for some 
beef."

Scully came out of the bathroom, yanking the snarls out 
of her hair, "well, how 'bout we eat, drive for a few 
hours, then find a hotel and have wild, unorthodox, 
non-mission positioned sex until you finally collapse 
in exhaustion?"

"I am so keeping this Scully once we get back home."

$&%&$&%

Scully tossed the finished romance novel into the 
backseat, "four down, two to go."

"Why in the world do you read those things anyway?"

Flipping the handle and letting her seat back, she found 
a comfortable position for her feet on the dashboard. 
"Medical journals and forensic texts tend to bring down 
the mood."

Mulder pulled over at the next rest stop and turning the 
car off, climbed over the gearshift to kneel above Scully's 
reclined form, "I love it when you talk scientific."

She burst into laughter, "you, my partner, need to seek 
professional help."

"You mean you'd actually consider a threesome?"

"Just shut up and give me a kiss."

"My pleasure Miss Scully."

%&$&%

They began seeing exits for Washington D.C. mid-afternoon 
the next day. The conversation in the car fell silent as 
both of them spotted the 1 mile warning for the Alexandria 
exit in particular.

"Scully?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't want to go home."

"We have to Mulder ... it's called life."

"I just don't want to go home yet."

"Then where would you like to go?"

Glancing over at her and blowing by their exit, "well, I 
was just thinking that Atlantic City's only a couple 
more hours ..."

"Okay, aside from the fact that the rental car place is 
going to kill us ... why Atlantic City? You hate gambling."

"They have more than casinos Scully."

"Does the Jersey Devil ring a bell?"

"You were much cuter than her." Looking straight ahead, 
he let his next statement fly, "actually, I was thinking 
more along the lines of wedding chapels."

$&%&$&%

So, who smells a sequel???????????

$%&$%&$%

Thanks for reading ... enter anytime ... my stories like 
to have visitors (all of which can be found or can be 
found soon, at the gossamer site - 
either under Sprys, Laura or Sprys, L.)