TITLE: Middle of the Night AUTHOR: Hiding in the Light (hidinginthelight@hotmail.com) http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Keep/6956/Homepage.htm CATEGORY: R,V,A,H (MSR, Vignette, touch of Angst and Humor) SUMMARY: "all things" post-ep. Scully awakens in Mulder's apartment in the middle of the night. She soon finds she's not the only one awake. SPOILERS: Post-ep story for 'all things'. Some references to Chinga, FTF, DII RATED: PG (D word used twice, that's as rough as it gets) ARCHIVE: Sure! Just drop me a URL so I can visit and keep headers attached. KEYWORDS: Mulder/Scully romance, "all things" post-ep story DISCLAIMER: Not mine, never in a million years. Mulder and Scully are property of Chris Carter and 1013, I just borrow them so this shipper can rest peacefully at night. FEEDBACK: "Just pick up the mouse and make it happen!" Flames will be used to light a Morley after you "vanish without a trace." :o) AUTHOR'S NOTES: Okay, I thought all things was stunning! It's been on my mind since it aired and my poor Moby CD is worn out. Finally I gave up fighting the urge, and decided to try a post-ep piece. I haven't actually published anything on the web yet, but I consider this my second story since my first has already had a year's worth of time put into it. This is just a quick break from it. This story is more serious than my usual style, and normally I run from stories that have lyrics included in it as a theme...but come on, this is Moby we're talking about. The song actually inspired what you'll find below, so I may skip a repeated lyric or two, but if I didn't this thing would be way too long (as if I'm not long winded enough), so enjoy! Lyrics from "The Sky is Broken" is from Moby's "Play" CD. Also Featured in "all things." http://www.moby.org Started: April 12, 2000 Finished: April 14, 2000 Thanks to Boxers, DD4me2, and Haskell for beta reading! You all are the best for putting up with all of my questions and requests! ~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~ "Loving, for a long time ahead and far into life, is solitude, a heightened and deepened kind of aloneness." ~Rilke ~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~ ~ See the storm is broken In the middle of the night ~ Scully's eyelids fluttered, reality gently entering her body as conscious thoughts flooded her senses. A dull, metallic sound had spoiled her much needed sleep, tiredness immediately creeping back into her bones. Her heavy lashes begged to remain weaved together, sleep annihilating her thoughts faster than she could retaliate against it. The small of her back ached for relief, her right leg numb of circulation from her awkward position, but the desire for sleep outweighed the pained cries from her body. She leaned back purposefully, welcoming the vast darkness spreading through her thoughts at a rapid pace, bringing soothing comfort, calm. Vinyl against wood. The sound plunged into her eardrums like a train charging straight at her, its tone unmerciful, persistent. Her ice-blue eyes opened, angry and irritated for the invasion. Her irises registered the blue-green haze of a shadowy room, her eyes darting to its corners to focus on the only available light source. The watery, rectangular existence immediately registered in her conscious thoughts. Mulder. She was at Mulder's. She remembered. Her hand automatically reached out, coming in contact with icy, slick leather, hopes shattered of a warm, sleeping body being there. Her last thoughts had been of him, talking to her with gentle tones, listening as she weaved the day's very strange events before him. They had stretched out their feet on his coffee table, the wood darkened with age, her pantyhose slippery against the slick varnish. Her unpleasantly dry throat had welcomed a cup of steaming hot tea. The warm liquid satisfyingly washing through her limbs, bringing life back into her sore muscles. They had talked, relaxed together. She could feel Mulder's dark hazel eyes making a poor attempt at staying expressionless as she, Dr. Science herself, had explained her attempt to use a healer to rescue Daniel from his coma, to bring him back from the warm breath of immortality. It had worked. Two more crisp knocks against wood broke her reflections, her eyes focusing on Mulder's window. It had been left open, the Venetian blind fluttering like a leaf on a tree. The winds outside howled a clarion call, heart-rendering and solitary as the rumbling bass of thunder uttered its discontent. Scully caressed the thick, wooly Navajo blanket strewn across her, knowing the hands and the care that had placed it there. She slowly moved it to the side. A slight shiver crept down her spine and down her arms, as if someone had just run the blade of a knife over her skin. The icy wind from the storm invaded the blanket's warmth in a matter of seconds as she slowly rose to her feet. The bluish-green light from the aquarium surrounded her like an aura as her feet padded inaudibly against Mulder's chilly, hardwood floor. She leaned across his desk, papers askew, raindrops splattered randomly across them as the blind continued to bob at the mercy of the wind. Her hand reached for the window pane, her skin brushing across a soft material on the desk. She paused, looking down, reality striking her with a fierce blow. Stonehenge Rocks. ~ Nothing left here for me it's washed away ~ That had been Mulder's adventure, his quest. She had openly thrown out her skepticism, her mockery, at him that afternoon in the office. He had wanted to cross the Atlantic to investigate crop circles...right after they finished up a case on a drowning due to Margarita mix. Crop circles, exsanguinations, hexes, cannibalism, mutants, little green men...these were Mulder's paranormal investigations where she had been there to keep him honest, to keep him a whole person. This was how their partnership worked. Her science and strict rationalism kept him on track, kept their work balanced. They never planned on crossing to the other's side, their wills too strong, their passions too great. And yet, she had believed. She crossed the line the moment she sat down before the Buddha in the temple. She had seen the summation of her life's choices flash before her, then the cause of Daniel's sickness and despair. She had called in a man to spiritually heal her former love, in a last attempt, an attempt on something she couldn't prove or rationalize. When Daniel had awoken again, she had been grateful for the unknown forces she had put her faith into. What bearing would that hold on her investigative work with her partner? What happens when the scales are slightly off balance? ~ The rain pushes the buildings aside the sky turns black ~ A gust of wind pelted a mist of droplets across Scully's pale, smooth-skinned face. Her locks of auburn hair billowed from her scalp as the coolness washed through her. She reached over and pulled two slats down with her index finger, the plastic cracking and subsiding under the light force. Her eyes peered through the gap, assessing the strength of the storm. Quick, fat raindrops glittered in the dim light of a streetlamp below, unmercifully pounding the saturated earth while the wind swirled and deterred them into a chaotic pattern. The clouds were thick and black in the night sky, visible for a brief moment when a flash of lightning sent its white network of veins snapping across, leaving them once again hidden, their fury unknown. "Damn." Scully whispered, her dry lips barely moving. Driving conditions could not have been worse, and here she was, stuck at Mulder's in the middle of the night. Her body ached for her own bed, for the soft goose-down comforter she could wrap her tired limbs around and away from the icy chill of the raging storm. She loved the rain when she at home, listening to the musical patter against the shingles, a gentle symphony that never failed to lull her to sleep. But here, the rain was her enemy, trapping her from reaching that warm, safe destination. Here a cold, lumpy couch awaited her, leering at the possibilities of how cramped and sore her back would be by morning. ~ The sky wash it far push it out to sea ~ A defeated sigh escaped from her lips as she reached up and slid the window shut. The bone-chilling gusts suddenly ended, a peaceful silence returning. The drone of the tiny aquarium motor hummed steadily, tiny flecks of gold and silver darting inside, oblivious to the world outside their glass walls. She retreated to the kitchen, feet colliding with ice-cold tile as she reached up to turn the stove light on. The weak, yellow light from the bulb cast shadows against the takeout bags strewn across the Formica countertop, a load of dishes swaying dangerously like the Leaning Tower of Pisa in the sink. She resisted the urge to rescue the fragile Corelle pieces, a wan smile briefly touching her lips. This was Mulder. If the kitchen had been spotless, she would know immediately it wasn't by him. And almost a year ago, after a quick use of innuendo and handcuffs, she had been right in her assumption. The refrigerator was covered in a collage of newspaper, pictures, and tape as Scully quietly opened the door to peer inside. She searched for a cold liquid to sooth her dry mouth, her eyes stopping on a lone carton. Orange juice. Well, that would work. She lifted the carton from the shelf, popping open the flap only to immediately extend it away from her face. She squinted to read the expiration: Oct '97. "Mulder!" Scully whispered in a frustrated tone, shoving it back on the shelf and slamming the door. Typical Mulder, she reminded herself. The lukewarm water from the tap would have to do...now, all she had to do was find a clean glass. ~ I watch it lift up to the sky I watch it crush me and then I die ~ Thunder rumbled the very foundation of Mulder's building, the wind relentless in it's fury. Everything happens for a reason. "What if there was only one choice and all the other ones were wrong? And there were signs along the way to pay attention to?" This is what she had asked, had learned by her past catching up to her. Since when had Dana Scully started believing to follow her heart and not her mind when it came down to life's paths? That was something her sister had believed in, had sounded like a greeting card every time she brought it up. How could it have all changed in the course of a day? Had it been there all along, she had just been moving too fast to turn around and stare it in the face? She could feel these very questions gnawing at her soul as she downed another mouthful of tepid water. Her identity had always been a scientist, believing in physical evidence, being professional, down-to-earth. Her partner had always been the 'spooky' one, but the day's events left her feeling spooked at herself. Her very core had been altered, she had opened her heart to the unexplained, allowed it to seep into her soul, her hopes. She had clung to the Dana Scully of science for years, and this breach of contract with her persona left her confused, terrified. She had to slow down. She was passing by so many opportunities, so many choices that life offered for her. She was a changed woman from ten years ago, she knew without a doubt, but how many chances had she missed? For her? For her and her partner? What had she secretly wanted when she had announced to Mulder that she was leaving the bureau two years ago? What caused her to make the split-second decision to come by his apartment to say her good-byes? She knew the answer...she had always known the answer. It had been a last chance...a journey her heart had taken her on. She had desperately wanted him to stop her, not just with his hands or persuasive words, but with love. The dark night had brought dangerous thoughts to her mind, the heavy glass making a loud clunk on the speckled gray countertop as she released it from her grip. She hurriedly switched off the stove light, her need to leave her partner's apartment growing at an exponential rate. Nature called. The cup of tea from earlier that night had undoubtedly began straining against her bladder. She knew where the bathroom was...knew who she had to get by in order to reach the destination. A debate unfolded on which was more important, the tea ultimately winning after the internal civil war. She would make it quick, inaudible, then she would escape into the pounding rain and howling wind to blindly drive back to her home, praying that she wouldn't end up a telephone pole in the process. The heavy wood door was ajar, inviting. Scully's fingertips pushed against the coolness, feeling the slightest of breezes wash around her. His window was open, but just a crack as tiny storm gusts whistled their way through. The streetlamp from outside his window cast an extremely dim white glow across the room. It was just enough light for Scully to navigate the clothes puddled at her feet, but her eyes acted like magnets, moving straight for the silhouette laying peacefully beneath a quilted, blue silk comforter. She stood like a statue in the darkness, eyeing the steady rise and fall of chest, hearing the slow intakes and expulsion of breath through gentle nostrils. She searched the masculine face of her partner, finding a relaxed, peaceful expression of sleep etched across each curvature and recess. Scully tiptoed purposefully toward the bathroom, her eyes snaking back to memorize her sleeping partner in different angles, hoping not to wake him. ~ Speak to me baby in the middle of the night ~ "You don't have to be such a church mouse, Scully. I'm still awake." Scully inhaled a sharp breath, her heart drumming wildly. Damn his insomnia. His voice was lazy with sleep, Scully assessing that her presence had entered the room just minutes before he had entered the unconscious world. "I heard you in the kitchen." He continued, his legs slowly rustling underneath the covers, "I hope you didn't try the orange juice." Scully allowed a smile to play at her lips in the darkness. "Mulder, there have been quarantines warranted for less than that." She could feel Mulder's hazel eyes sparkle as he propped his head up with an elbow, the covers slipping down to his waist, his bare chest becoming exposed in the white light. She couldn't deny her eyes the firm muscles etched and molded like a fine Roman sculpture. Although she had seen his chest numerous times before, it had always been in a different context. This time he wasn't sick or injured, just leisurely resting in his bed, in his home. The winds bellowed outside. She had to get out of there. "You know what's strange," he continued, her eyes immediately flickering to his own, "Every time I catch a re-run of American Bandstand that carton enters my mind." "Well I wouldn't be surprised if it grew legs and joined you on the couch." Scully countered, taking another step closer to the dark pit of the bathroom. Mulder emitted a feathery chuckle, a rolling crack of thunder drowning out the last notes as he continued to watch his partner's movements in the darkness of his bedroom. Her steps were quiet and silky--her actions betraying a storm of emotion whipping wildly just beneath her skin. He patiently waited for her to speak. After a strained pause, Scully expertly pulled her thoughts into patented form. "Get some sleep, Mulder, I didn't mean to wake you. I just needed a quick run to the bathroom and then I'm heading home." Mulder's dark eyebrows raised inquiringly. "In this weather? Have you looked outside lately?" Of course she had, she told herself, gritting her teeth and making a lunge for the safety of the bathroom. The sooner she stopped the small-talk, the sooner she would be out of there. She could get some rest in the sanctity of her home, build back the strength she needed to keep her emotions subdued. "It's fine, Mulder." Her voice echoed amongst the yellowed bathroom walls as the door shut with a bang. Mulder waited patiently for her to return, gearing up for a battle of wills. She was not going out driving in such a wrath of nature. It was ridiculous. Scully returned a few minutes later, the bathroom light searing Mulder's eyesight when the door swung open. She quickly switched off the vanity light, Mulder's expression reflecting one that she had made minutes ago herself. She took advantage of Mulder's sudden blindness by making a bee-line for the living room, blinking rapidly for her pupils to adjust to the thick darkness of the bedroom. "Hey, Scully, where are you going?" Mulder asked, the rustling of covers and sloshing water indicating that he had suddenly sat up. "Home, Mulder." Scully sighed as if she were explaining it for the tenth time, her eyes darting back for a glance at her partner. "Why don't you wait until the weather clears up? I know my couch isn't The Ritz, so take my bed...I'll go sleep on the couch." He insisted with gentle tones caressing Scully's ears. "Just...stay." Scully could feel the warmth spread in her cheeks, her muscles burning at an attempt not to smile. Her squared shoulders were already melting, butterflies clenching the pit of her stomach. "I don't want you to get out of bed because of me. This is your place, Mulder, you should sleep where you want." "It's not like I've never slept out there before. It'll be like old times. My couch needs a trip down memory lane every now and then." His back was turned toward the window, his face swathed in darkness, unreadable from where she was standing. But she didn't need to see his face with her eyes, feeling a warm smile radiating straight across the room, surrounding her with hot flames, drawing her in. "Alright, Mulder." She exhaled in a whisper, "I'll take the couch and wait until it stops raining." She was surprised by Mulder's chortle of laughter. "Scully, I don't need to hear about how my couch put your back out for the next three weeks. Anyway, it's an acquired taste." Scully opened her mouth to protest. "Of course," Mulder deliberately continued, knowing he was cutting off a Scully rebuttal, "we could compromise and get what we both want." Scully's fine eyebrow gave a suspicious lift. "In case you haven't noticed, this bed is made for more than just one. At least I would be relieved that you're not out skidding around on the flooded streets out there, and you can be happy that I'm still in my own bed, and you can wake up without your back being sore." "Mulder, I don't know if that's..." "We can have one of those slumber parties where we brush each other's hair and paint our toenails." Mulder added with a taunting waggle of his eyebrows. "That's tempting, Mulder," Scully mused to her partner, growing serious, "but I don't think..." A deafening crack of thunder seared her eardrums, startling her with its sudden explosion. Her jaw hung open in mid-sentence, the world around her suddenly growing slower. Her heart thumped in a melodic beat, her hand drifting through the air with deliberate slowness toward her chest. Slow down. Everything happens for a reason. The storm is an opportunity, lending a new path, a new fork to travel that had otherwise been passed by many times before. Look at it, take it, grasp it and never let go. Make a choice. Listen to your heart, follow it into the unknown, into the darkness of the night. "The storm's practically right on top of us." Mulder commented, counting the seconds between the brilliant streaks of light and its encore of furious bass. "Now what was that you were saying, Scully?" Scully could feel the throb of her heart beneath her fingertips, a gasp escaping from her throat. A gleam of resolve blazed from the indigo depths of her eyes, giving her companion another furtive glance. "Fine, Mulder, but I get the covers." Mulder was eternally grateful that his hands were positioned against the waterbed headboard, otherwise he would have fallen straight to the floor. ~ Pull your mouth close to mine ~ "You gonna' sleep in those pantyhose all night?" Mulder queried with mock humor as he wrapped his chilled body with the Navajo blanket from the living room, watching Scully squish into the watery folds of the bed. He could feel the vibes of death pulsing from her glare. Scully didn't answer. She usually didn't when he had one of those rare moments of being right. Irritated, she heaved back out of the waterbed, making sure to leave with a quick jump, knowing her partner received a jolting aftershock. With a triumphant grin, she quickly shimmied her legs free from the binding nylon, the cold air sending a shock of goosebumps tickling up her thigh. She reached over to her hip, sending the zipper of her skirt downward with a loud rip, allowing her tired abdomen muscles room to breathe. She didn't have to turn around to know Mulder had a wide-eyed expression across his clean-cut features. She was too stubborn to ask for something more comfortable. She turned back toward the bed, grasping a wad of thick, silky comforter beneath her fingers. Mulder was laying casually on his back, fingers kneaded together behind his head, looking a little too smug for her liking. Mulder's bed. Mulder in the bed. What on earth was she doing?! Time passes in moments. Take stock of each precious moment before it passes. Sleep deprivation was winning over. She would reprimand herself further in the morning when she had a new burst of energy. Her legs slipped under the covers, silk against silk, warmth against cold. The goosebumps melted away as the water gently rocked because of her movements. Her nostrils burned as they were immersed in the smell of musk, of him. The wind howled a melancholy call through the window, the rain pelting its anger against the roof. "What in the world..." Scully mumbled to herself, reaching underneath the covers to her feet. She pulled out an empty sunflower husk between her fingers, a disgusted look darkening her face. "Oh sorry about that, Scully." Mulder piped up quickly, hugely enjoying himself. "Those usually travel in groups, so don't say you haven't been warned." "You eat these in bed too?" Scully asked in disbelief. "Hey, you opted for the covers." Mulder quipped, burying his head into the softness of his pillow. Scully shook her head. In any fantasy she would quickly deny she ever had, rolling around in sunflower shells had not been a part of them. She could feel a smile breaking from her lips despite herself, quickly rolling away from Mulder to face the window. "What's so funny?" came the sandpaper rasp of Mulder's voice, devilishly soft. He certainly didn't miss much. "You." Scully replied in a soft whisper against the white pillowcase. The water beneath them rippled, beginning from Mulder's side of the bed and rebounding toward her. He had moved to his side, facing her, one arm propped beneath his head for support. He was inches away from her bundled form, heat radiating from his body. A deadly distance away. Scully curiously turned in his direction, a lock of auburn silk scattering across her face. Before she could reach up to move it, large fingers, warm and exquisitely soft, brushed across her brow, moving the wave of hair with it. Her head was trapped against the cotton pillowcase, his face hovering above hers in the darkness. She could feel the gentle breeze of his breath fluttering across her skin, his eyes dark and unfathomable in the night's pitch black. She could feel the blood beating silently in her wrists and temples, her mind racing for tactics on what move to make, on interpreting what Mulder was going to do next. She could feel him lean closer, making eye contact with her as his lips lingered above hers. Lightning flashed, raindrops shimmering in the sky. A fork in the road. A path not yet discovered. "Good night, Scully." He whispered with unmistakable tenderness, retreating his hand and making a disappointing withdrawal. That was it? Good night?! "Good night, Mulder." Scully answered in her crisp, unrevealing tone, tossing back on her side in one quick motion, throwing him into the angered darkness of her mind. ~ I can see the wind coming down like black night so speak to me like the winds outside ~ She couldn't sleep, as tired as she was. It wasn't insomnia, since she had been sitting on the couch with Mulder earlier and simply rocked her head back into immediate sleep. No, this was all Mulder, leaning over dangerously above her, throwing her senses into high gear. And of course, she was actually sleeping--or trying to--in the same bed with him. Had she gone insane?! Her face was supported by a crooked arm wrapped around the pillow's softness, staring through the small gap of the open window. The brave light from the lamp down below fell obliquely across her pale, creamy skin. The oval of her face was delicate, perfect, and every nuance, every detail was awake, alive. Her body was attuned to every ripple the waterbed made as Mulder gently twisted and turned. It was odd to have another soul next to her in her slumber. It had been years. The storm outside must have been hovering straight over Washington, not wanting to leave Mulder's apartment building without fully battering the cinderblock sides with its hostile winds. Through the window Scully stared into the rich, velvet black of the sky, a spark of electric current throwing a shock of light into the dark, swirling masses of seething vapor. She sighed audibly in vain, knowing she wasn't leaving anytime soon. "Still awake?" Her breath froze. Did the man ever sleep?! Scully glanced upward to the red digits on Mulder's clock. 3:10. She groaned inwardly, wondering how she was going to be fresh and ready for work only four hours away. "It's just the storm." Scully replied in a cautious, non-committal tone. "I can close the window if that would help." Mulder suggested in a throaty whisper that sent Scully's whole body on the defensive. "No, no, the breeze is nice." She answered quickly, not daring to look at him from the corner of her eye. "Okay, then." Mulder conceded, a sloshing wave indicating he had moved to his side. The warm air puffing at her neck confirmed it. "My years of lack of sleep always turned out to be something that was weighing on my mind. So what's eating at you? I thought after this weekend's events you had the world squared away." Scully's blue eyes widened as her body froze, immediately tense and alert. They had already had one long talk that night, which was a record by itself, but now Mulder was instigating two?! Plus, in her tired, drained state, she knew her protective shield she coated herself with was almost non-existent. She was more afraid of sliding down the slippery slope of her honest emotions than of anything else. She didn't doubt that the brilliant profiling mind of her partner already knew that. "It's just the storm, Mul..." A blinding flash of brilliant white light flooded the room, the strike possibly connecting with a tree or antenna just outside the building. She could feel the hair on her arms and on the back of her neck standing on end, her breathing emanating in labored puffs. She could hear the sharp intake and release of the air in her lungs rushing through her ears, the slow bob of the waterbed rocking her with its gentle sway-swing motion. Slow down. Stop and consider this path before dismissing it. The enigmatic woman led you to Mulder, so dip you toes into the black waters of a path not yet written. Test it. ~ It's broken up, pushing us ~ "What was that earlier? The 'good-night' moment?" Scully blurted in a whisper, her voice sounding normal despite the sudden frenzy of terror racing down her spine. She felt the danger of the question like a dead weight on her back, but she had triumphantly taken a step toward an unexplored path. Her body slowly moved beneath the sheets, turning to face her companion, her partner. He had stiffened and seemed suddenly uncomfortable. He bit his lower lip in thought, knowing she was reading every movement of his, not expecting anything but an honest answer to an honest question. "I'm sorry, Scully." She noticed that his eyes again sought hers, only to slide away a second later. "I was going to give your forehead a kiss..." His voice drifted into the storm. Forehead?! Somehow that had been amusing, frustrating, and delightful all at the same time. A hollow feeling had formed in the pit of her stomach, a fear gently creeping into her body. "...but I had changed my mind. I wanted something else." He ended with a fearful tone. His words hung in the air without expectation of any response. ~ Hear the rain fall see the wind come to my eyes see the storm broken now nothing ~ A horrifyingly honest answer. He saw her hand tremble slightly, like a leaf on a tree in the gentlest of breezes. Impulsively his hand reached from underneath the scratchy Navajo, snaking across the gap between their bodies to make contact with her hand. The meeting ignited a fire, his fingertips squeezing down upon the silk of cool skin, fingers naturally intertwining around each other. "What are you afraid of, Scully?" he remarked with a gravity in which she detected a hidden irony. His eyes burned into the ice-blue depths across from him. "The same thing you're afraid of." She breathed with a wry melancholy into the wind, feeling her words dance to his ears like playful notes. Her eyes still held on to a degree of caution as well as a new respect for the fears they shared. Her body had become intensely hot beneath the thick layers of bedding, her heart throbbing in her veins, against her skin. Her lungs were being very difficult in allowing oxygen to travel freely to her limbs. Thunder clapped outside, jarring the naked shadow of fear. ~ Speak to me baby in the middle of the night ~ Mulder clenched her hand tighter, as if trying to hold themselves from the abyss threatening to swallow them. He caressed her long slender hand with the pads of his fingers, moving across smooth, rounded nails, down to the quickly dampening palm. His hand gently asked for her hand to follow, the ivory skin coming in contact with his moist lips. Scully withheld a trembling breath, nerves skyrocketing across her skin. The touch was comfortable, simple, yet sent an inferno of flames lashing through her skin. She knew his lingering lips wanted to stay forever. ~ speak to me hold your mouth to mine ~ Here was a path she had missed multiple times. Seven years of passing it by, never giving it a second glance. Too afraid of the darkness it kept. It was time to slow down, to believe once again. Believe that love waited for her on the other side. Believe. Scully sat up higher in the bed, basking in the coolness flowing from the open window. The room began to spin in dark circles of velvet around her, her hand coming to life against Mulder's. Her iron grip around his fingers startled him, allowing the kiss to be broken. He stared at her with open astonishment as she caressed her hand down the masculine line of his jaw, his hand still attached. She stopped, her mouth open, feeling as if she were leaning over the edge of an abyss. Her heart hammered faster in her throat, a flush of heat searing into her cheeks. Her eyes deadlocked against the surprised hazel irises of her partner, her head reaching the point of no return. The path was irreversible, unbreakable, unstoppable. She welcomed the darkness, believed in her love, believed it would be returned. No greater clarity had occupied a place in time and space in her reality. Her lips met against his, flesh against flesh, a tremor of shock running through her partner before he came alive with a response of his own. He would never turn her down, never push away such an invitation to feel the depths of Dana Scully she kept hidden only for herself. The chaste kiss on New Year's was in no comparison to the one they shared in his bed, in the pitch black of the night, under the warmth of covers sheltered from the wrath of a storm. Scully's lips parted with her partner's, feeling him brush against her lips immediately after, not wanting to let go so abruptly. Their kiss deepened, filling them with softness, respect, warmth. Lips glided together, of lost souls united, their hands still intermingled under Mulder's jaw. He moved his free hand to cup her face, sliding back to tangle through her auburn locks with a jubilant sense of comfort. He absorbed every feel of her in this unguarded moment, his nostrils inhaling the sweet fragrance of her, fingertips memorizing every nuance of her skin. His lips ached to taste the skin his hand had found, but knew this was not the time. Next time. "Mulder." Scully exhaled with a ragged whisper, breaking their last kiss with deliberate slowness. Her eyes were as wild as her breath, both out of control with fires of emotion. Her fingers squeezed tighter against Mulder's, the two hands that had yet to break contact. Mulder responded with a desperate squeeze, moving her hand back to his lips, hearing an aching sigh escape from his partner's soul. Their eyes were all the communication they ever needed, now reflecting the confirmation of their actions, of their declarations for one another. No regrets, no confusion, the ending being more simple than either had imagined. The new path wasn't a dead end, but a beginning. A beginning to beautiful scenery ahead, the annihilating darkness quenched beneath their steps. ~ 'cause the sky is breaking ~ "Look at that, Scully, the rain stopped." Mulder spoke with the dark rasp of his voice, "Isn't that a coincidence." Scully leaned back to her side of the bed, her head moving toward the window, feeling a tingling sensation shudder through her body. No, it wasn't a coincidence, not for her, Dr. Scully of Science. Everything happened for a reason, and she had put her faith into the forces she couldn't explain. The whole day had guided her on a journey of life's choices, and she had stopped to consider them all. Her head sunk into the pillow, an odd sense of partial but exhilarating triumph, like a presentiment one got in the middle of a long race that it was still possible to reach the finishing post. Her hand stayed laced in her partner's as he recovered himself with the black and tan Navajo. ~ it's deeper than love I know the way you feel ~ "You don't have to use that." Scully spoke toward the ceiling, her voice confident, warm with grace. "Get under the covers...I won't tell if you won't." She could feel Mulder's smile lighting up the room like the lightning from only five minutes ago as Navajo was discarded to the floor with the rest of his clothes. His large frame radiated a comforting warmth as he settled in, the bed swaying to the motion of his limbs. His right hand was still connected to her left, their bond unfaltering, unyielding. She felt his free hand caress down the length of her face, the heat leaving a trail of exhilarated nerves behind. "Good night, Scully." "Good night." She answered in return, making one more confident squeeze with her fingers. Their bonded hands rested gently between them, the sudden silence from outside engulfing the room. Scully laid awake, her body more alive than ever, feeling the racing pulse in Mulder's fingers grow steadily slower, her eyes watching a leaden, gray dawn break outside the open window. Once she felt Mulder asleep, she lifted her sore body slowly from the bed, reluctantly removing the bonded grip of their hands. Her palm was still sweaty, the smell of him unmistakably mingled with her own. She padded quietly into the bathroom, smoothing her forest green shirt, moving the zipper of her skirt back into its original position, her abdomen screaming obscenities at her for the sudden tightness. Her auburn locks were mussed no matter how much patting her palms gave them, and with a grab for her pantyhose she slipped out of his apartment, keys in hand. ~ like the rains outside speak to me ~ The front steps of the apartment building were slick with puddles of rainwater as Scully carefully descended in her heeled pumps. Her eyes moved from her shoes into the glistening world of water, the birth of the sun turning the gray sky salmon. Raindrops glittered across the deciduous trees full of leaf, the darkened roads glistened with wet, oily sheens. The storm had kept her here, here with Mulder. Nature's fury had spoken to her in the only way it knew how, sending her life in a new direction. She was thankful to the unknown forces offering her the chance of a lifetime, for guiding her in a direction she would have never seen alone. This path was for her and Mulder to share, to explore, to love. She believed. In the middle of the night. ~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~ Feedback is appreciated at hidinginthelight@hotmail.com Thanks for reading! ~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~*~X~