Title: The Vacation Author: Tess E-mail: tnv099@aol.com Distribution: If you want, please just let me know Spoilers: Nope Rating: NC-17 Content: MSR Disclaimer: Not mine. Not making any money off 'em. The only ones who do and are would be CC, Fox and 1013. Summary: Duh! Mulder and Scully take a vacation. Sequel to To Keep You Safe It's just a fluffy little story. Sequel to my last story "To Keep You Safe" which people seemed to like and even wanted to see the vacation mentioned therein. So I wrote it. I don't think it's necessary that you read To Keep You Safe to understand this one. The Vacation (1/1) By Tess Thursday evening 6:45 p.m. The plans had all been made. Now it was simply a matter of setting them in motion. Mulder followed Scully into the apartment. She immediately set out for the bedroom and pulled out two suitcases. Mulder followed her and watched curiously as she began opening closet doors and bureau drawers throwing clothes onto the bed near the waiting suitcases. More and more of his clothes had found their way into her apartment in the months since they had become lovers and a small pile of said clothes were rapidly accumulating next to hers. "Um, Scully?" he asked. "Are we going somewhere?" "Yes Mulder. We are going away for a long overdue vacation," she replied, her voice muffled as she had her head stuck inside the closet reaching for a sweater. "We are?" "Yep." She spun toward the bathroom to dig out their toiletry bags. "Scully we can't go away. We've got too much work to do..." Scully stopped and turned impatient blue eyes toward him. "Mulder," she began. "Do you remember me telling you that we were going to take a vacation? Just the two of us? To spend a little time together, alone?" Mulder nodded as Scully made her way back to the now almost completely packed suitcases. "Well that was almost two months ago and if I don't take control of the situation, we are never going to go. There is always another case." "But Scully..." "NO! I have cleared our schedules for the next few days. I am going away." She stuffed a pair of sturdy boots into her bag angrily. "Are you going to come with me or not?" Mulder held his hands up soothingly and nodded silently. "Good!" Mulder wandered over to his open suitcase to examine its contents. "Boots, sneakers, t-shirts, shorts, sweaters, jeans...um, exactly where is that we are going and how long are we going to be there?" "We are going *away*," she told him, telling him nothing. "And we are due back in the office on Tuesday." "You aren't going to tell me where we're going?" he asked. "No, I'm not because if you know where we're going, somehow, someway, you'll be able to dig up an X-File in the area. You will find out when we get there!" she stated emphatically. "Sculleee," he whined. "Come on, just give me a little hint..." "No." "Pleeeze?" "Nope." "Not even one little hint? Come on, what can that hurt?" "Give it up Mulder. I'm not telling you anything. But I can promise one thing." Mulder turned expectant eyes toward her. "It has cable." She smiled merrily at him and finished her packing. ******** Thursday 11:30 p.m. Mulder lay quietly in bed. Scully slept peacefully next to him. She was laying on her stomach, her face turned toward him. Mulder rolled onto his side to study her face. He never got tired of watching her sleep. He traced the smooth skin of her hip above the sheet and tried to guess where they were going. he thought. He closed his eyes and settled more comfortably against the pillows. The last thing he remembered before falling asleep was Scully's promise to him from two months earlier. ********* Friday 11:30 a.m. "Philadelphia?" Mulder asked. "You aren't taking me to see the Liberty Bell are you?" They had been on the road for several hours. Scully had packed a large cooler filled with perishable food items, and the back seat of the car was filled with bags of groceries, books and CDs. "All right. Judging by the fact that you packed supplies, I know that we are not staying in a hotel or a B&B," he speculated. "Mulder," she said warningly. He smiled at her and bent to study a map. ********* Friday 1:00 p.m. Scully turned off the small two lane road and steered the car up a narrow gravel road. She pulled into a clearing and stopped the car. "Weeee're heeere," she said in a singsong voice. *Here* was a beautiful cabin in wooded clearing a little over an hour outside of Philadelphia. Scully climbed out of the car and Mulder scrambled out after her. She left the bags in the car and mounted the steps to the porch. She dug a set of keys out of the front pocket of her shorts and opened the front door. They stepped inside. The first floor was one large room with a comfortable living room on one side, complete with overstuffed furniture, a big screen television and a fireplace. The dining area had a table for four and the sunny kitchen was every cook's dream. Sliding glass doors led to a pool surrounded by a wooden deck. A gas grill and patio furniture completed the picture. "The pool is heated so even though it's getting cooler, we should still be able to use it," Scully told him as she dipped her fingers into the water, testing the temperature. Mulder strolled to the end of the deck. A short flight of steps connected to a path that led to a small lake which was sparkling in the sunlight. "There are no other houses around here," he noted. "How did you find out about this place?" "The owners are old friends of my parents. I've known the Roberts' for as long as I can remember. We used to spend a couple of weeks a summer up here with them and their kids. When I told my mother that I was looking for a place for us to go for a short vacation, she suggested that I call Mrs. Roberts." Scully looked around and continued. "Of course, back when we used to come up here it was just a small cabin and the lake. Mr. and Mrs. Roberts decided to 'fix it up a bit'. They added on to the cabin and built the pool. Mr. Roberts' family has owned the land and the lake for generations." Mulder eyed the luxurious cabin. "Well, I guess we'll just have to make the best of it." Scully smacked him lightly on the arm. "Come on, let's get all the stuff inside." ********* Friday 1:45 p.m. Mulder leaned against the counter watching Scully put the last of the groceries into the refrigerator. "Hey Scully," he called. She turned to face him. "Yeah?" "I was just wondering. Does this place have a bedroom?" Scully rolled her eyes at him then walked over and took one of his hands in her own. "I believe it has four bedrooms, Mulder. Shall we take a look?" The went upstairs and found the master bedroom. A king sized bed stood in the center of the sun dappled room. Scully walked over to open a window allowing the breeze to blow into the room. The room boasted another fireplace as well as a pair of comfortable arm chairs. French doors led out to a small deck that had a wicker sofa covered in comfortable looking cushions and pillows. The bathroom had a large walk-in shower and a sunken tub. Scully kicked off her sneakers and crawled into the center of the bed. "Mulder?" she called. He smiled at the picture she made, kneeling amid the mounds of pillows covering the bed. "When was the last time you took a nap in the middle of day?" she asked. "Do you mean, other than when I'm hospitalized?" She nodded. "Well, then. I think I was about six years old," he replied. Scully reached out for his hands and pulled him onto the bed. Lying back, she drew him into her arms. Mulder snuggled her close and within minutes they had drifted off to sleep. ************ Friday 5:00 p.m. Scully awoke slowly. A slight breeze from the open window danced across her skin. She looked down at the dark head nestled against the soft cotton of the T-shirt covering her breasts. She had been planning this vacation for the last two months. She knew she was lucky to have carved out these four days from their schedules. She had every intention of making the most of the time they had. No work. No nightmares. She was going to spend this time getting to know Mulder better and letting him get to know her better. Scully had big plans for this weekend. She was going to spend every minute of it reinforcing her love for, her commitment to Mulder. She was going to make love to him, baby him, and focus all of her attention on him. Although on the surface it sounded selfless, Scully knew it wasn't. She vowed to herself that by the time this weekend was over, all of the women in Mulder's past who had ever hurt him, whom he had ever loved, would be nothing more than a dim memory. She hated those women for many reasons. Because they had known Mulder's touch. His kisses. Because he had loved them. Trusted them. Jealousy was not a quality she admired in herself, but it was one that she was willing to admit to. She hated those women mostly because they had hurt him. Scarred him. Made him afraid to love and to trust. She caught him at times watching her. Waiting for her to hurt him. To leave him. So she had waited and planned for this weekend. And by the time it was over, he would know. That she loved him. That she needed him. That she would never leave him. She also hoped that a little domestic bliss over the weekend would go a long way to proving to her partner that he didn't have to wander the earth to find what he was looking for. That some truths could be found at home. Her fingers had been sifting absently through his hair and she knew the minute he awoke. She could feel the change in his breathing. "Hey," she whispered. "Hi," he rasped back in a sleep heavy voice. Mulder rubbed his cheek against her breasts and then settled down again. Watched the dust motes dance in the sunlight. Scully tugged on his hair until he looked up at her. She pulled at his shoulders until his face was level with her own. Lifting her head from the pillow she pressed a soft kiss to his mouth. Mulder sighed against her lips and moved to deepen the kiss. Instead, Scully pushed him onto his back and rose above him on one elbow. He lifted his fingers to trace her cheek and she captured his hands in her own, pushing them down onto the mattress. She shook her head slowly. Mulder lay still awaiting her next move. Scully feathered her lips across his brow, over his eyelids, down his nose. Her tongue darted out to trace the curve of his upper lip, teasing the corners of his mouth. She followed the line of his jaw and sucked lightly on his stubbled chin. Her lips settled onto the soft skin on the underside of his jaw where she contentedly nuzzled for long minutes. Moving on, she nibbled a path across his Adam's apple and lapped deliberately at the hollow of his throat. Her movements were leisurely, building his arousal (and hers) slowly. She licked a trail along his shoulder, dipping her tongue briefly into the scar she found there. She scraped her teeth over his biceps, nuzzled the crook of his elbow teasing the delicate blue veins with her tongue. She kissed his palm and rested her cheek against it for a moment. Blue eyes lifted to hazel. "I love you," she whispered. Mulder smiled and nodded shakily, too steeped in sensations to form a coherent response. Scully grinned and resumed her sensual attack, this time starting with his chest. She flexed her fingers into his pectoral muscles and opened her mouth over his nipples. She tugged lightly at the sparse hair covering his chest and her lips followed the trail of hair down to his stomach. She bathed his belly with kisses, rimmed his navel with her tongue. Her fingers fumbled with the button fly of his jeans, spreading them open so that she could reach the tender skin of his hips. She tugged at his jeans and boxers and he lifted his hips to assist her in discarding them. Scully rolled her lips over his hipbones and across the softer skin of his stomach. She buried her fingers in the nest of hair and scratched lightly finally allowing her hot, moist breath to wash over his now straining erection. Mulder's hips arched off of the bed, blindly seeking her mouth. Scully smiled and pushed him back against the mattress. She trailed her fingers lightly over his penis causing it to jump and twitch expectantly. She gently pressed the tip of his cock toward his belly and lowered her head to trace her tongue along its underside from base to tip. Mulder moaned each time her mouth made contact with his hot flesh. She opened her mouth over the silky head, her lips sucking lightly. He cried out and his hands lifted reflexively off the bed to tangle in her hair. She released him and he whimpered at the loss of her mouth on him. "No! Oh God. Oh Scully. Please. Don't. I promise. I won't touch." His hands flopped back to the bed. Scully's tongue darted out to lap again at the very tip of him and then she rose up on her knees. She worked quickly to rid herself of her own clothes, kicking off her shorts and tugging off her T-shirt. As she worked on her bra with suddenly clumsy fingers, she saw that Mulder was stroking himself feverishly. She tossed her bra and panties aside and knocked his hands away. "Mine," she said throatily, and he moaned again as her fingers picked up his rhythm. She eased one leg over him so that she straddled him on her knees. She took his hands into her own, palms touching, fingers interlocking. Bracing herself against his hands she began to lower herself onto him. Mulder gasped as he slipped the first couple of inches inside of her warmth. Scully stopped moving and took a deep breath. Mulder fought the urge to ram himself into her, every muscle quivering as he struggled to let her set the pace. Even though they had been together for several months, the difference in their physical size was never more obvious than at this time as her petite body struggled to accommodate him. She blew out a panting breath. She rose up on her knees then sank back down. She did this several times until he was finally buried in her warmth. Her fingers tightened against his as she remained very still allowing her body to adjust and stretch. Finally, she began to move. She rose up again on her knees, allowing him to almost slip free and then she pushed back down. Mulder's hips began to rise and fall as he kept the slow pace that she set. He braced his elbows against the mattress and she leaned forward against his hands, using them for leverage and changing the angle of his penetration. She gasped and her eyes slipped shut as he slid deeper. She began to move faster, rising and falling, gasping his name. "Oh. Oh. Mul..Mulder." She yanked her hands from his and braced herself against his chest. Mulder's fingers dug into her hips, helping to lift her and then slamming her back down. Scully could feel the tension building and building. Her breath came in sobbing pants. Her heartbeat was thundering behind her eyes and then the tension snapped and she was flung into oblivion. Her body convulsed against his and she crumpled to his chest. Mulder was still moving, straining toward his own release. He could feel it there, just out of reach. Scully gathered her strength and pushed herself up over him. He watched as she traced her hands over her lower abdomen, cupping the soft skin as if she could feel him from the outside. "Mmmmm. God. So good, Mulder. Come." She bent over him and sucked the skin of his throat, the tugging of her lips matching the tightening and releasing of the tiny inner muscles convulsing around his cock. He grabbed her by the back of the head and kissed her wildly as his body spasmed, flooding her with his warmth. Exhausted she fell forward onto him, nuzzling her face into his sweaty neck. His hands ran up and down her back, stroking, calming. ************ Friday 6:45 p.m. Mulder woke up alone. He sat up in bed, his body aching pleasantly from their earlier exertions. He cocked his head to one side, listening. He could hear Scully making dinner noises in the kitchen. He leaned over the side of the bed and scooped up his jeans. Not bothering with his underwear he slid them on and buttoned them up. He noted that Scully had opened their suitcases and he drew out a sweatshirt. He splashed some water on his face in the bathroom and brought some order to his disheveled hair. Scully could hear him moving about in the bedroom above her. She pulled a plate of steaks out of the refrigerator along with a bottle of beer. She was bending over the oven checking on the baked potatoes when she heard him behind her. "What's for dinner?" he wondered. Scully turned to face him. She offered the beer to him with one hand and held out the plate of steaks with the other. "Why don't you take your beer outside and start the steaks? The grill should be ready by now." Mulder took a long pull on the bottle and carried the steaks outside. He flipped open the lid of the grill and placed the steaks on the racks. Carrying his beer over to the edge of the deck, he braced one hip against the rail watching the last rays of the setting sun over the lake. He heard the sliding glass door scrape open and then felt Scully's hand slide across his back. She insinuated herself between the railing and his body and wrapping her arms around his waist, she leaned her cheek against his chest. Mulder encircled her with one arm, his other hand bracing the beer bottle on the railing. They stood quietly watching the darkness encroach on the woods. Scully swiped the bottle from him and took a drink. "How're the steaks doing?" Mulder stepped away from her to check. "About 5 more minutes and they should be done." They ate at the table on the deck and then spent the rest of the night watching the stars, talking quietly, and splitting a couple more beers. Around midnight they headed up to bed. ********** Saturday 3:30 a.m. Mulder woke up and for a moment was unable to place where he was. He was lying on his side. Scully was spooned up behind him, her breath falling softly on his back with one of her legs insinuated between his. Her right arm was flung over his waist, her hand resting hotly on the skin above his pajama bottoms. He drew her hand up to his chest and rolled a little more onto his stomach. Scully grumbled in her sleep, waking slightly before settling herself more comfortably against his back. Saturday 8:45 p.m. The day had been idyllic. They had slept late and made a big breakfast. They took a walk around the lake, exploring the woods briefly. The afternoon sun was warm so they decided to make use of the pool. Afterwards, they rested on the lounge chairs, soaking up the last warm rays of the season, reading. Scully had gone through Mulder's bag before they left Washington and taken out the files that he had stuffed inside. She smiled as she saw that he was completely absorbed in the book on the history of baseball that she had picked up for him. They had enjoyed a light dinner and made good use of the sunken tub in the master bathroom. Scully had filled it with hot water and bath oil. She sat propped up against the back of the tub, her head resting on a bath pillow. Mulder was nestled between her legs, his head lolling comfortably against her breasts. Scully held a large bath sponge in her hand and periodically lifted it to squeeze hot water over his shoulders and down his chest. Mulder hummed in contentment as she lightly s cratched her nails against his scalp. He was drifting in that place between sleep and reality. He watched with half-opened eyes as Scully lathered up the sponge and began to bathe him. She kept her movements slow and non-sexual. Her hands were nurturing, soothing, and maternal. She set aside the sponge and lifted handfuls of water to rinse the soap from his skin. She poured a dollop of shampoo into her hands and massaged it into his hair. His head rolled around on his neck. She pushed him away from her and urged him to dip his head back into the water to rinse it. She dropped a quick upside down kiss on his lips and helped him sit back up. Scully stood up and reached for a towel. Stepping out of the tub she dried herself quickly and wound the towel around her body. She held out her hands and helped him out of the tub. He stood docilely as she patted him dry. She scrubbed the towel through the short ends of his hair. Mulder followed her into the bedroom and they settled onto the bed. Scully rested her cheek on his chest, her fingers playing idly with the hair on his stomach. She whispered "I love you" softly against his skin. Suddenly Mulder pushed her onto her back and loomed over her. He stroked the damp hair away from her face. His eyes were filled with wonder. "I..I just realized something," he whispered. "No woman has ever said that to me before." Scully looked at him in confusion. "Said what, Mulder?" "That they loved me." Her eyes grew wide and she shook her head in denial. "Mulder, that's not possible..." "No, it's true." "But...but..." "No one has said that to me except my mother. And she stopped saying it after Samantha..." He stopped abruptly and lowered his head. After a moment he looked back at her. "Phoebe would never..and Diana...I just realized that she always danced around it somehow." Scully's eyes were filled with tears. she thought. "Say it again, Scully," he pleaded. She smiled gently. "I love you, Mulder." He shuddered in response. "I always have. I always will." He cried out and lunged forward, covering her lips with his own. He made love to her mouth, his tongue slipping between her lips, mating with hers. She tore her mouth free, gasping for air. "I love you," she repeated. He pressed his lips against her throat feeling the vibrations of her words as she said them over and over. "I love you. Love you." He trailed his lips down to her breasts, suckling like a child and then traced them over her belly. She stiffened as he moved lower. "Mulder," she said, stopping his descent. He looked at her with pleading eyes. Although she was free with her body, making love to him, this was the one thing she would never permit. She didn't mind being on the giving end, in fact, she enjoyed it. But receiving...she didn't know if it was some kind of religious hang-up or a fear of a complete loss of control. Scully remembered her vow to be more open with Mulder this weekend and she nodded at him. She blew out a deep breath and forced her muscles to relax. She felt Mulder's hot breath fall upon her and then he was there. Lips, teeth, tongue. Bathing her. Caressing her. Worshiping her. Loving her. Her head rolled back and forth on the pillow and the pleasure mounted. Mulder climbed up her quivering body and slid deeply within her. "Thank you," he muttered against her lips. They rocked slowly, gently to find fulfillment. Sunday 2:45 p.m. Mulder sat on the end of the sofa working on the Times crossword puzzle. A baseball game played softly on the television. Scully's head was resting in his lap. He thought she was asleep so he was surprised to hear her mutter quietly, "Idiot!" "Huh?" he asked. Scully flung one hand toward the television. "I said he was an idiot." Mulder glanced at the game as it headed toward a commercial break. "Ooookay." He shook his head in bafflement at her. "Well they're in a fight for the wild card right? They're down by two, it's the bottom of the eighth. Two runners on, one out and the dope hits into a double play." She tossed the remote control onto the coffee table in disgust. "Scuullleee," he breathed. His face bore a similar expression to the one he wore last night. Awe and wonder mixed with love and lust. "Marry me." Scully rolled her eyes balefully at him. "You know, Mulder. Two things. First of all, just because I said I never played baseball, doesn't mean I don't know anything about the game. Jeez! I had two brothers who played Little League. I grew up on military bases surrounded by boys and girls playing baseball!" "Oooh, do tell. I'll bet you had lots of boys trying to impress you with their baseball prowess!" "Um, none that I can remember." "Come on, Scully, fess up. I'll bet all the guys were trying to impress you." "Mulder. I was a short, pale-skinned, freckle-faced, red-headed geek. No boys were even looking at me." "Fools!" he declared and he stretched out to cover her body with his own. "Okay, you said two things." He ground his hips into hers suggestively. Scully moaned softly and tried to collect her thoughts. "Um, yeah. Okay. Where was I...oh, yeah!" She looked at him menacingly. "Mulder, you have to stop making those joking proposals to me. You've been doing it for years now. How the hell am I going to know the s erious proposal when you finally do get around to making it?" Mulder's eyes widened. He cleared his throat and looked around the room. Finally, his gaze settled on hers again. "How's this?" he asked. "Scully, I love you. I meant it when I said you make me a whole person. I want to spend the rest of my life loving you and being loved by you. Will you marry me?" Scully smiled. "That's pretty good. You should memorize that and use it someday." "How about today, now?" "Mulder, I don't want to make a joke out of this." "I'm not. I'm serious. I even have the ring, but it's at home. I've been waiting for the right moment and I don't think it's ever gonna be any better than this, right here, right now. The only thing wrong with this picture is that the ring is a few hundred miles from here. Scully, will you marry me?" She looked at him closely. She could see the love, the hope and the tiniest bit of fear shining in his eyes. "Yes," she murmured. He rested his body against hers, his head buried in her neck. She felt him relax after a few minutes and she realized that she had accomplished what she had set out to do this weekend. The drooping of his body and the smile on his face told her everything that she needed to know. That he loved and knew he was loved; that he was happy. That he had found peace and safety in her arms. In her love. The End Author's notes: I hope no one comes away from this story thinking that I was trying to write a submissive, subservient Scully. There are a lot of stories out there where Mulder is the concerned caretaker. This was Scully's turn. Thanks to Becky for encouraging me to post this! I'd love to hear what you thought at tnv099@aol.com