Title: Chocolate War
Author: pukajen (ideaquestions@hotmail.com)
Pairing: Mulder/Scully
Rating: Adult
Spoilers: First Person Shooter
Summary: In a move that was as subtle as a freight train, and as suave
as a teenager on his first date, Mulder had let out a big yawn,
stretched his arms, and rested along the seatback behind her.
Word Count: 5,026
Author's Note I: Thanks to soundingsea for doing the beta. Despite the
craziness of life, you're amazing.
Author's Note II: roomieC and I have been slowly rewatching XF, a
couple of weeks ago we watched FPS. There are two versions, this is
the first. The second is in beta. They start off the same, but go in
very different directions.

Disclaimer: Not mine. Don't really want to get FOXed


They left the Gunmen and Phoebe at the bar, still doing shots of
tequila and raising their glass in toasts that were phrased in code,
praising her and Mulder's ingenuity, her shooting, Mulder's cajones.

Scully assumed Langley meant his courage and not his actual balls.
Then again, with the Gunmen, it was hard to tell at times.

Fighting with her key card, Scully grunted in triumph as the hard wood
of the door finally gave way under her. She stumbled a bit as she
crossed the thresh-hold.

Okay, maybe she was feeling that last shot of tequila.

She giggled to herself; maybe it was feeling her.

On the short taxi ride back to their hotel, she and Mulder had been
pressed closely together. They'd talked about nonsense, lightly
touching an arm to make a point, running fingers along a thigh to
acknowledge what the other had said. In a move that was as subtle as a
freight train, and as suave as a teenager on his first date, Mulder
had let out a big yawn, stretched his arms, and rested along the
seatback behind her.

Scully had mocked his juvenile move, but had snuggled closer to him.
They'd gone grocery store half a block from their hotel. In the harsh
light of the Ralph's, they'd roamed the aisles, picking foods based
more on ease of eating than nutritional value.

Mulder's arm had never left her shoulder.

Unceremoniously, Scully dumped the Ralph's bags containing their
treasures onto her bed. As quickly as she could, she stripped out of
her clothes, leaving them draped neatly over the desk chair. Naked,
she rummaged through her suitcase, looking for something appropriate
to put on.

It wasn't like she had many choices.

A knock startled Scully into action.

"Just a moment," she called out, quickly pulling on a periwinkle
spaghetti strap top she usually slept in. Finding clean underwear, she
put her black pants back on, doing them up as she walked over to the
door, pausing to look at herself in the mirror above the desk. Her
face was free of make-up, but it wasn't like she had time to put any
on now.

Plus she'd probably poke her eye out the way she was feeling right
now. There was a heat rushing through her blood that had nothing to do
with the alcohol she'd consumed.

The knock came again in three staccato raps.

"What took so long, Scully?" Mulder strode into her room the second
she opened the door.

"Hello to you too, Mulder," Scully muttered acerbically.

Her only answer was a half-hearted sneer as he dove onto her bed and
set about ripping opened food packets.

Sometime, Scully wondered at the dichotomy of manners that made up her
partner; he'd hold doors, pay for all their meals - okay, the Bureau
actually paid for them, but they went on Mulder's expense account -
his hand was an almost permanent fixture on the small of her back, yet
at times it was like he had no idea of social norms.

From somewhere he'd procured two plates. He handed her one stacked
high with a simple ham and cheese sandwich, mini carrots, and a
mountain chips.

"Bon app‚tit, Scully."

Smiling slightly, she arranged the pillows against the headboard and
sat down next to Mulder.

"I almost forgot!" Like a magician, Mulder pulled a corkscrew from his
back pocket.

They'd bought a bottle of red wine. It had been the only serious
moment between them since they left the bar. Mulder had held up a
bottle, head cocked. She'd raised an eyebrow at him, he'd smiled
slightly, and she mirrored his expression, and then nodded slightly.
And just like that, they were going back to the hotel with dinner and
a bottle of fairly decent red wine.

"Where did you get this stuff?" Scully had packed for Mulder enough
times to know that he didn't travel with plates or that damned
corkscrew.

"A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell, Scully."

"I wonder if Jorge at the front desk does? Or Stan in the kitchen.
Wait it's after ten, so that means it's Micky's shift in the kitchen."

Scully couldn't help it; she burst out laughing at the crestfallen and
slightly perturbed expression on Mulder's face.

Years ago, Scully had learned that it was in her best interest to
learn the names of the people at the front desks of the motels. If
they were lucky enough to actually stay at a hotel, she made certain
to know as many names on the kitchen staff as possible. Given the
hours she and Mulder kept, it had meant she'd gotten more than one
meal long after room service hours ended.

"Quit gaping and open the wine."

Scully set her plate aside and wandered into the bathroom, grabbing
two of the tumblers wrapped in plastic for her protection.

Mulder had the wine uncorked when she returned. He filled both glasses
to the brim.

"To getting our ya-yas out," toasted Mulder.

"Speak for yourself." Scully took a long drink. The wine was rich and
slid down her throat easily, warming her belly.

"What'dya mean?" Mulder asked after he too had taken a long sip.

"Mulder, that wasn't exactly my idea of a good time. In some
backwards, na‹ve way, Phoebe actually thought that making a
stereotypical male sex symbol was going to even the playing field for
women, when in actuality she was just playing into the male fantasy."

Subject closed, Scully finished her wine and picked up the other half
of her sandwich.

"You really didn't have a good time? Are you trying to tell me,
Scully, that it didn't get your adrenaline going?" He looked at her
incredulously.

"Mulder, the reason my adrenaline was raised had nothing to do with
the construct of the game and everything to do for fear for our
lives." She polished off her sandwich, wiping her hands neatly on the
napkin Mulder silently offered her.

"I don't believe you, Scully. You didn't even hesitate to fire off
hundred of rounds at the Maitreyas and her tanks."

"Unlike you, and the majority of the male of the species, I don't feel
the need to shoot at things to get my ya-yas out." She bit a carrot in
half with a snap to emphasize her point.

"How do you like to get your ya-yas off, Scully?" he leered at her.
Deliberately changing her words.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She dropped her voice an octave.

Mulder choked on his chips. Spluttering, he stared at her with a
mixture of awe and disbelief. Scully thought she saw desire buried
under there somewhere too, but tried to ignore it just as she always
did.

That was two for her. It wasn't often she got the better of Mulder in
their verbal sparring. Honestly, it wasn't often that she played back.

Thumping him on the back a couple of times, Scully quietly dug into
the rest of her dinner. After a couple of moments, Mulder followed her
lead. Reaching over to re-fill their wine glasses again he settled
next to her, barely an inch separating them.

"Ready for dessert?" Mulder asked. She'd been playing with the last of
her chips, rather than eating them.

"I'll get it." Scully handed him her abandoned plate and dug into the
bottom of one of the plastic bags at their feet. Her fist closed over
chocolate bar they'd decided to share.

Meticulously, she peeled off the outer wrapper and placed it in the
trash bag. Scully smiled to herself as Mulder twitched next to her.
With care she usually used after making a Y-incision, Scully pulled
back the fist fold of the wrapper.

"Oh for God's sake, Scully." Mulder lunged and grabbed the chocolate
bar from her hands.

"What are you doing? Give it back." She tried to get it from him, but
he held it over his head.

"The chocolate would have melted in your hands by the time you'd
finally unwrapped it."

Scully tried again to reclaim their dessert from Mulder.

"Mulder, give it back." If he got to split up the bar, she'd end up
with the smaller half. Mulder wasn't very really good at sharing. "You
know we'd be eating it already if you hadn't snatched it away."

In response, Mulder brought the bar to his mouth, tearing the wrapper
off. He made to take a bite.

"You wouldn't dare!" Instantly, Scully realized she said the wrong
thing. Challenging Mulder was like waving a red cape at a bull. The
results were predictable and almost as unstoppable.

Taking a huge bite, Mulder chewed, moaning in pleasure.

"You should have some, Scully," he mumbled between chews. "This really
is the prefect mix of sweet and creamy." He brought the bar back to
his mouth.

Scully tackled him. Sure, he had her by about eighty pounds and a good
seven inches, but surprise was on her side. They fell in a mess of
tangled body parts and a whoosh of air. Her left hand was just above
the button on his jeans. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she was
going to use it as leverage to lunge up and grab the chocolate bar,
but now it was trapped between their bodies.

Not one to give up, no matter what the circumstances, Mulder's free
arm banded around her waist, locking her to him. Her right hand was
still long inches away from where the chocolate bar was clutched in
his left.

"Mulder-" She tried to sound stern, but the shadow of giggles belied
her authority.

"Agent Scully, is that the best you can do?" He taunted her by
brushing the chocolate against her fingertips, then pulling it out of
her reach.

"You're supposed to share." She was quietly trying to remember all the
hand-to-hand combat she'd learned at Quantico years ago. And the
not-so-official moves she'd learned since. Unfortunately everything
she could come up with would actually hurt Mulder. And while she
wasn't opposed to inflicting some much-deserved pain, she didn't
actually want to injure him.

"Make me." His smug superiority had her reconsidering her
unwillingness to damage him.

Another, far more dangerous, idea flashed across her mind. If she just
stretched up a little bit, her mouth would be even with his. From
there it would be a fraction of a movement, and the entirety of their
history, for their lips to touch.

Bells were instantly ringing in her mind, something between an air
raid siren and fire alarm that made up her well honed bad-idea warning
system. It was a finely tuned system after seven years of being
partnered with Mulder.

For an eternity of seconds, Scully debated the idea. In then end, all
she could think about was the kiss they'd shared at New Year's and how
they'd left with his left arm around her shoulders, and how so far
this year was a mish mash of gut wrenching cases and the bizarrely
improbable.

As she inched her way into position her mind screamed at her that now
wasn't a good time, that they'd both had too much to drink, that there
were issues at work, that Mulder was still torn up about his sister
and mother, that there were men who would like nothing more than to
use them as weapons against each other.

Except, those issues had always been a part of them since the very
first case they'd worked on.

Well, apart from the alcohol. And even that wasn't too much of a
consideration. They'd barely had half the bottle of wine between them,
and the three shots of tequila had been had been hours and a sandwich
ago.

Feeling simultaneously reckless and secure, Scully pulled back,
holding perfectly still. Sensing the change in the game, Mulder
brought his questioning gaze to hers. Slowly she pulled her eyes from
his, dragging them down to his lips. His mouth was slightly open,
panting from their struggle.

Scully licked her lips unconsciously, and a small whoosh of air puffed
from Mulder's mouth. She brought her eyes back up to meet Mulder's,
only to discover that his were locked on her lips.

"Mulder-" His name was a husky whisper filled with promises and begging answers.

Smiling softly, he looked directly into her eyes.

Ready, she asked silently.

Are you absolutely sure?, was his unspoken rejoinder.

This is what had stopped them from going any further at New Year's.
Neither of them had been willing to risk their murky definition of
friendship, nor what the Bureau rulebook laid out for partners.

Funny thing was the line that they had kept themselves from crossing
had become a huge grey no-mans land. Scully was ready to claim it,
turn it into something whole new and totally theirs.

Giving Mulder ample opportunity to pull away, Scully brought her lips
to his. She kept her eyes locked on his as long as possible. A mix of
disbelief and acceptance poured from him into her, melting into desire
as their lips touched.

The sensation was incredible; this wasn't a one-time thing. This kiss
was the start of an entirely separate part of their relationship.
Something new and undiscovered. And like a good scientist, Scully gave
herself over to the investigation, searching out every part of
Mulder's mouth, moving her head this way and that to get a better
angle.

Scully trailed her right hand down Mulder's stretched arm, grazing her
nails softly along the sensitive skin of his inner arm. The shudder
that wracked his frame sent a thrill through her; that with such a
simple touch, still fully clothed, she could get a reaction like that.

Their tongues ran over each other, chasing back and forth across
teeth, seeking out the soft corners of each other's cheeks, rough
surfaces over smooth. Mulder almost lost a chunk of hair when he
smoothed his tongue along the roof of her mouth.

In wiggling to free her left hand, Scully brought her right hip in
direct contact with Mulder's erection.

They both froze. Obviously, Scully knew where this was going, but she
was unprepared for the hard evidence of Mulder's arousal pushing into
her. She pulled back from their kiss to look him in the eyes. The
movement caused her to press down against his aforementioned erection
dragging a groan from deep inside him that Scully both felt and heard.

Mulder looked proud and terrified, aroused and bemused. Ready to crawl
out of his skin. Or at least every stitch of clothing.

Bracing herself on his shoulder, Scully moved until her hand was free
and resting over his racing heart, and her legs were splayed over his
bringing her directly on top of his arousal. Mulder held perfectly
still. The only acknowledgement Scully had that she was affecting him
was the speeding up of his heartbeat and the occasion involuntary
thrust of his hips.

Deliberately, Scully rolled her hips, smiling at him coyly through the
curtain of her hair. In response Mulder's hand came down and clutched
her waist, stilling her.

"What's the matter, Mulder, don't you want to see how I get my ya-yas off?"

"If you keep doing that, Scully" Mulder said in a self-deprecating
tone, "you'll be getting your ya-yas off all by yourself."

"Where's your self-control, Mulder?" She leaned down and nipped his chin.

"Scully, you've always been myself control." He brought his left hand
and clamped it firmly on her ass, pushing her down into him. They both
groaned.

"You seem to be fully in control of events right now, Mulder." Wanting
to feel more of the amazing friction, she tried futilely to rub
herself against him.

Mulder snorted in disbelief.

"Scully, if that were true, we'd be naked already. Hell, we'd never
gotten to the carrots, never mind dessert."

She quirked an eyebrow at him. They'd never actually got to dessert. Then again...

"What are you waiting for?" She kissed him, sliding her tongue in and
out of his mouth rapidly. Mulder flipped them over, grinding his hips
into hers. Scully cried out, grasping at his back, digging her nails
in, anchoring herself to him as the world spun madly around her.

Needing to feel his skin, Scully frantically pulled at his shirt,
ripping the black cotton over his head. She pushed, until Mulder was
once again on his back. Straddling his hips she let her fingers run
over his chest. For the first time she detailed his muscle and sinew
with the eyes of a lover, not that of a doctor. Cataloguing his
reactions; if she flicked a fingernail over his nipple he'd gasp
running; a feather-light touch down his abs caused him to shudder;
biting softly where neck met shoulder made him groan her name and
thrust his hips.

Scully gloried in the new freedom to map out his body, the power that
was held beneath the bronzed and rippling skin, the muscles taut with
arousal, trembling with need, and all for her.

Slowly she trailed her hands from his face, over his shoulders,
pausing at this scar and that, remembering all the hurts and wanting
to wash them away. Her fingers grazed either side of his belly button
and she smiled a secret smile when he hissed her name.

Purposely she traced the denim-covered bulge, running her hand from
bottom to top. She licked her lips and imagined what he'd feel like
buried in her to the hilt. With a snap and a hiss, his jeans were
undone and her hand was on him, her fingers barely able to encircle
him. Loving the hot silk over iron feel of him, Scully stroked her
hand up and down, then ran the tip of her fingers over his balls on
her downward stroke.

And suddenly the room whirled and she was once again staring up at the
stucco ceiling then Mulder was looming over her, panting his face
flush with desire.

"I want you." His voice was a low animalistic growl. It thrilled and
alarmed Scully that she'd brought him to this sharp edge of arousal so
quickly.

Her answer was trapped in her throat, behind a moan, as he ran a hand
up her flank, so Scully just nodded her head in agreement.

Dear God, how could the answer be anything but yes.

Unceremoniously, Mulder stripped her of what little clothing she had
on. And in moments she was spread naked before him for the first time.
The look in his eyes made her feel like the most desirable woman on
earth.

Never breaking their gaze, Mulder stripped off his pants and came to
lie next to her on the bed. Slowly he repeated her caresses from
before, touch for touch, nip for nip. Desire like none she had ever
known raced through her veins.

He toyed with her nipples, bringing his mouth down to take over when
his left hand roamed further south.

Scully was only slightly shocked to find that her hips were
undulating, begging for Mulder's touch. Apparently they'd taken it
upon themselves to go after what they wanted. The way her brain was
misfiring, Scully wasn't surprised her whole body hadn't staged a coup
to get what it wanted. Needed.

Mulder's fingers were tracing out some indistinguishable hieroglyphics
on her inner thigh. The back of his knuckles kept brushing lightly
against her core, but never in a way that she needed.

"Mulder." His name was a plea laced with unimaginable desire.

"Scully?" He raised his head from her breasts and smiled. It was then
that she realized that Mulder had found a new well of control to draw
from.

Scully wasn't sure if she was willing to beg just yet, or inflict some
sort of semi-permanent damage on his person. The look in her eyes must
have conveyed just fine what she was thinking, as he pushed two
fingers into her.

Pleasure shot through her and Scully thought she might just come from
his fingers moving languidly inside her. When his head started to move
down her torso, Scully sunk her fingers into his hair and jerked him
back up to her lips, kissing him with more desire than style.

As he was distracted with their kiss, she brought her hand to his
cock, stroking it. He was hot and thick in her hand. Her thumb swirled
over his head, rubbing the beads of arousal over him. Pulling back
from their kiss she licked her thumb clean. Everything about Mulder
froze except where he throbbed heavy against her hip.

Licking her lips, Scully smiled up at him through half closed eyes.
Consciously, she tightened and relaxed her inner muscles around
Mulder's fingers.

Running her fingers through his hair she brought them to rest on the
back of his neck and pulled him down for a soft kiss filled with
promise and the echoes of the past meeting the horizon of the future.

Mulder rolled on top of her. He pulled his fingers from her, replacing
them seconds later with his cock and pushing slowly into her. It had
been a long time for Scully and her groan was pleasure mixed with
pain.

And still he was pushing into her.

Sex was always about shoving Tab A into Opening B, an opening that was
slightly smaller. The size difference between them almost guaranteed
some discomfort at first.

The realization that he must be hurting her caused Mulder to freeze,
abruptly breaking their kiss.

"Scully?" His voice was rough, the tattered thread of control over
raging desire.

Unable to speak, Scully wrapped her legs around him, tilting her hips
bringing him in even deeper. They both moaned loudly.

Mulder held himself rigidly still, just the faintest tremors betrayed
his struggle. After endless moments the burn turned from pain to
pleasure and Scully wiggled her hips experimentally.

"Scully." Her name was a growl this time warning her to be careful.

She briefly wondered if she's broken Mulder and all he was capable
saying of was her name. Then he shifted, and all coherent thought flew
from her mind.

Mulder pulled out until only his tip was inside her, before sliding
home again. Long deliberate strokes in and out. Never stopping, never
speeding up. He dropped random kisses along her brow, over her closed
eyes, nipping at her bottom lip.

Scully unlocked her legs, bringing her heels to rest just south of her
ass. On Mulder's next downward thrust she raised herself up, clenching
around him at the same time.

Slamming his hips down, Mulder pinned her to the bed.

"Scully, this is going to last about ten more seconds if you do that
again," Mulder panted.

She opened her eyes and squeezed him again. Letting out a low groan,
Mulder withdrew and thrust into her again. Hard.

No longer happy just to lie there, Scully rose to meet each of
Mulder's downward strokes. His back was slick under her hands and she
found it difficult to hold on. They were gasping in tandem reaching
for the inevitable.

Every muscle was clenching and unclenching, and Scully could feel the
tension coiling in her stomach.

Mulder brought his hand between them, seeking out her clit, rubbing it
roughly when he found it. She was so near the edge that all it took
was a couple of well-timed thrusts and swirls against her clit, and
Scully tumbled over the edge.

Fireworks exploded throughout her body as she came, crying out
Mulder's name. Her nails dug into his lower back, bonding him to her.

When she came back to herself, Mulder was still buried deep inside
her, rock hard. Lightly she ran her fingertips over his jaw that was
pulsing as jaw.

Blearily she smiled up at him. It took a lot of effort, but she
managed to raise her head and place a tender kiss on his lips.

"Your turn." Marshalling her thoughts, she squeezed in time with the
clenching of his jaw.

Moaning, Mulder buried his head in the crook of her neck and shoulder,
thrusting in and out of her without any finesse. His movements set off
small echoes of pleasure through out her body. She was too wiped to
come again, but the small flashes of arousal were wonderful.

It wasn't long before Mulder was crying out her name long and loud.

Scully was grateful that they were here on someone else's dime,
someone who had no tangible connection to the FBI and would never give
complaints to the Bureau of the noise coming from room 619.

They lay together for a long time, shudders racing between them. Every
little movement set up new groans. Eventually, Scully had to push him
from her; his weight was slowly crushing her.

Moaning they rolled to their sides, still connected. She lazily
trailed her hands up and down his back still slick with sweat. Mulder
brought his hand to her head and caressed her cheek, tenderly brushing
her hair behind her ear.

She lay there, wrapped in his gaze, her leg flung over his hip. For
better or worse they'd changed their relationship forever. That said,
as much as they both had the power to screw this up, their
relationship had undergone the fires of Hell and never truly broken.
Their past, good and bad, light and dark, was woven tightly together,
creating the tapestry of them. And the past could never be unraveled.

Well, unless you bought into that one X-file about temporal...

Scully smiled to herself.

"What's so funny?" Mulder asked softly.

"Nothing. Everything. Life."

"Very succinct, Agent Scully." And he kissed her, smiling.

She shivered, this time from cold, goose flesh rising along her arm
and back. Muffling a whimper Mulder pulled away from her. He moved
them until they were both under the blankets, kicking the wreckage of
their dinner to the floor in the process.

They shifted around until she was once again wrapped in his arms with
her right leg over his. They shared one pillow, inches apart.

Unable to stop herself, Scully ran her fingers over his face, mapping
out his brows, nose, lips, jaw, everything.

"We're gonna have to set some rules about this."

Mulder chuckled and she thought back over what she'd said. She thought
of their past, more specifically her partner's blatant disregard for
pretty much any and every rule he'd been presented with.

"Rules are lost on you, aren't they?" she asked smirking.

"Pretty much." Sobering, he kissed her. "I know what you're getting
at, we'll be careful, but you and I both know that there's no way to
hide everything always. There are always clues, leads to follow."

Scully nodded her agreement.

"It's not like our enemies don't know that my biggest weakness and
strength is you. And that I am yours."

Again, Scully nodded, though this time she kissed him softly when she was done.

Mulder looked down, taking a deep breath. When he met her eyes again,
all joking was gone; he was as serious as she'd ever seen him. And
scared.

"And," he paused, stroking her cheek tenderly, "it's not like they
don't know I love you."

Scully ran her hand along his jaw. Love: it could give wings and crush souls.

How could he not know how she felt?

"I love you too, Mulder." She smiled at him.

He didn't return her smile. In an instant Scully felt her world start
to fray, the forerunner to unraveling.

"I'm in love with you," Mulder said with a soft intensity. "I have
been for years."

And there was the rub of it, Mulder's deepest fear: that he was
unloved in the way he loved.

"And I'm in love with you too, Mulder." She looked him dead on. "I
have been for ages." She held his gaze, and saw the wonder shatter the
fear, the joy that quickly followed caging the fear, and finally the
acceptance locking his fear away. At least for now.

Mulder pulled her close, breathing her in. Scully was content just to
rest in his embrace as long as he needed her to.

Long moments later, he pulled back, smiling. And, for the first time,
Scully didn't see the specters of the past in his visage. She ruffled
his hair.

"Let's go to bed, Mulder. We have to meet the Gunmen tomorrow for
lunch then catch our plane back to DC. All, hopefully, without Skinner
or the Bureau becoming aware of what we did here this weekend."

Mulder waggled his eyebrows at her comically.

Ignoring him, Scully raised herself to turn off the bedside lights.
The long since discarded chocolate bar caught her eyes, teetering
precariously between the edge of the bed and the wall. Giggling in
secret triumph, Scully stretched across Mulder's body and at the last
minute snatched the thing that had sparked their coming together.

Without a thought of sharing, Scully shoved as much of the chocolate
as she could in her mouth.

"Can't reach the light?" Mulder mumbled from under her.

Desperately she tried to answer, but her mouth was too full. Her
mangled words and giggles caused Mulder to open his eyes and twist to
look at her.

His eyes widened then narrowed.

"No fair not sharing, Scully."

Jamming as much of the remainder of the chocolate bar as she could
into her mouth, Scully grinned wildly and fed him the final couple of
squares.

Laughing softly she flipped off the light and they snuggled down
together exchanging sugary kisses.

Scully was lethargic, but not the least bit sleepy. And Mulder rarely
slept the night through. For once neither cared what time it was, or
what was happening with the outside world. They talked softly and
continued to exchange long kisses. Words melted away as they slowly
caressed and learned what made the other sigh, what made them groan.

When they made love again, it was hours later. This time it was slow
and gentle and full of devotion and promises. The sky was lightening
to pale grey when they drifted off to sleep in each other's arms.
Scully knew they couldn't predict what was to come, but as always,
they would face it together. Just now together meant a little bit
more.