TITLE:  Consummation
SPOILER WARNING:  The Blessing Way/Paperclip (oblique)
RATING:  NC-17   Yup, we're going for the gold, this time, folks.  So if
you're under 18, or offended by explicit sex between consenting adults,
now is the time to bail.
CONTENT WARNING:  A smallish inside joke, discernable to anyone who has
been reading ATXC for the last few weeks.  No harm intended to anyone;
just good clean fun.  And Rachel, I love ya; thanks for the picture, and
thanks for helping to make this all a reality.
CLASSIFICATION:  SRa, MSR
SUMMARY:  Sometimes the hero really does get the girl...and vice versa!
 

Consummation

by Brandon D. Ray

"Have I mentioned tonight that you're beautiful?"

Dana Scully looked up from her plate and across the table at her
partner.  He had given up all pretense of eating, and was gazing at her
with frank admiration and desire.  His features seemed more soft and
open than she had ever seen them, and his eyes were dark with passion.

"A few times," she whispered.  "But you can say it again, if you want to."

"You're beautiful."  He reached across the table and lightly caressed
the back of her hand, sending a tingle of electricity dancing up her
arm, and Scully shivered.

It had been like that all evening, ever since his arrival at her
apartment.  After an initial, ferocious hug, and a deep kiss, full of
promise, they had kept slightly apart from one another, only
occasionally reaching out for the softest and briefest of contact. 
Under other circumstances, it might have been frustrating or
distracting, but they both already knew how this evening would end, and
each gentle touch only heightened their anticipation.

The restaurant Mulder had chosen was small and intimate.  The food was
excellent, and a small live band presided over an open space where half
a dozen couples danced to a combination of jazz, swing and big band music.

She looked away from the dance floor and back at the man seated across
from her.  "Mulder," she said softly, then stopped and smiled.

"Scully?" he replied, a quizzical smile on his face.

She shook her head.  "I don't know."  Her hand crept out to tickle his
palm lightly.  "Everything's just so...perfect."

He took her hand in his and raised it to his lips, planting a soft kiss
on her wrist, then slowly rose from the table, drawing her with him. 
"Dance with me, Scully."

He led her out onto the dance floor, and she melted into his arms,
closing her eyes and resting her head against his chest.  For a few
moments neither of them spoke as they swayed gently together, their feet
sliding in time to the music.  Scully felt warm and happy and cherished,
and the soft melody drifting around them just made it better.  She
concentrated for a moment, trying to place the tune; it was vaguely
familiar, but that style of music had never really interested her. 
Until now.  Now it seemed just right.

"Mulder?"

"Mmm?"

"What's the song they're playing?"

"Moonlight Serenade," he whispered.  "Glenn Miller."

She thought about that for a moment.  "Glenn Miller.  Little Brown Jug?"

"That's the one.  Little Brown Jug.  American Patrol.  Chattanooga
Choo-Choo."  She felt his lips brush the top of her head.  "Serenade in
Blue."

She tightened her arms around his waist.  She couldn't get close enough
to him.  "I didn't know you liked this kind of music."

A brief pause.  "You weren't supposed to know."

She opened her eyes and drew her head back just enough to look up at his
face.  "Why not?"

He smiled at her, and shook his head slightly.  "Too dangerous."

"Dangerous?"

He nodded, and bent down to brush his lips lightly against hers. 
"Dangerous.  I didn't dare listen to this kind of music with you
around.  It's much too romantic."  He kissed her again.  "It makes me
far too vulnerable."

Scully closed her eyes again and laid her head back against his chest,
and she wondered if he realized what a wonderful gift of trust he had
just given her.  "Your secret is safe with me," she whispered.

"I know."

The song ended, and another one began.  This time, she didn't have to ask.

"What a Wonderful World," he said softly, his voice thick with emotion. 
"Louis Armstrong."

Yeah.  He knew.

They continued to dance.  The music changed again, and then again, and
each time he whispered the name of the song and the artist in her ear. 
Fats Waller.  Benny Goodman.  The Dorsey Brothers.  Scully tried to
listen to each piece, she wanted to drink it all in, she wanted to know
everything about the man in her arms, but it was all so intoxicating: 
The music.  His touch.  His scent.  The heat of his body.  And most of
all his voice, soft and gravelly, mingling with the warmth of his breath
to caress her neck and ear.

Suddenly holding him and dancing with him were no longer enough.  Scully
took her arms from around his waist and slid them slowly up his chest,
imagining how his skin would feel under her fingertips, knowing that
soon she would no longer have to imagine anything, and shivering with
the anticipation that thought evoked.  She lifted her head from his
chest and once again looked up into his eyes as her arms slipped around
his neck.

"Mulder," she said softly, and stopped, knowing that he would read the
rest of her thoughts in her eyes.

He bent his head and kissed her, briefly but thoroughly, and said, "You
get the coats.  I'll take care of the check."

Scully stood for a moment, watching him as he moved away from her and
back towards the table.  He seemed to be surrounded by a silvery haze,
and for an instant she almost believed in Missy's auras.  For just a
moment she felt a twinge of sorrow at the thought of her sister, but
then she shook her head and it was gone.  Missy wouldn't want her to be
sad tonight.  Her thoughts traveled back to Mulder and the hours yet to
come, and she turned and walked to the coat rack at the front of the
restaurant.

A moment later Mulder joined her at the door.  Taking her parka from
her, he stood behind her and slipped it on her, then reached around from
behind to fasten the buttons, one by one.  The warmth of his embrace and
the slight pressure of his fingers as he worked each fastening were
indescribable, and Scully closed her eyes, leaned back against him and
moaned softly.

"God, Mulder," she breathed.  "God.  I don't know if I'm going to make it."

He chucked, but she was pleased to hear a slight shakiness behind his
words, too.  "Just hang on, Scully," he replied  He bent down as he
finished the last button, wrapped his arms around her from behind and
whispered into her ear, "It won't be long now."

Somehow they made it to his car, and moments later they were on the
Beltway heading into Virginia.  Scully roused herself slightly from her
erotic haze as it gradually dawned on her that they were not heading
either for her place or for his.  "Mulder?  Where are we going?"

He glanced over at her and smiled, then looked back at the highway in
front of them.  "A place I know," he said.  "A little bed and breakfast
out in the country.  You'll like it."

She shifted in her seat so as to lean her head against his shoulder. 
"If you're there, I'll like it."  She closed her eyes and just let
herself drift for awhile.

This was really happening.  It wasn't a dream; it wasn't a fantasy.  She
wasn't going to wake up in a few minutes, all by herself in a cold bed,
and somehow have to struggle through another day of loneliness and
denial.  It was real, and it was going to stay real.  She was with
Mulder, and soon, so very soon, the last barriers were going to come down.

Scully snuggled up closer against her partner's shoulder.  He was so
warm, and he felt so good, even through the heavy winter coat and formal
evening wear.  Her mind whirled as she again tried to imagine what it
would feel like to have his bare skin pressing against hers, and she
felt her body start to tremble.  Soon she would know.

Soon.

At length she felt the car slow, and then the ride became bumpy.  She
opened her eyes and sat up, and saw that they were on a country lane.  A
few moments later Mulder stopped the car in front of an elegant,
colonial-style plantation house, the sort of rambling old frame
structure built to house an extended family, plus servants.  The
surrounding fields were blanketed with new-fallen snow, which glinted
softly in the moonlight, and as Scully got out of the car she thought
she had never seen anything so beautiful in her entire life.

Then Mulder climbed out of the car and was walking around it to stand
next to her, and she had to amend that thought:  Almost never.

Mulder slipped an arm around her shoulder, and she leaned up against
him, and for a moment they just stood together, looking at the scenery
and enjoying each other's presence.  Finally, Scully broke the silence.

"Thank you, Mulder."

She felt him stir slightly, and she turned to see him looking down at
her, a slight, quizzical smile on his face.  "For what?"

"For dinner.  And for dancing with me.  For not making me feel like we
had to sneak around, or be ashamed."  She put her arms around his neck
and stretched up to kiss him softly on the lips.  "For bringing me
here.  It's so beautiful.  So perfect.  Everything is perfect."

He leaned down and returned the kiss.  "This is a very special place for
me, Scully.  I've been coming here for a long time, and now I want to
share it with you."

Despite herself, Scully felt his words ignite that small core of
insecurity which she could never seem to shake entirely.  He'd come here
before; of course he'd come here before.  She should have realized....

Something must have cued him to her feelings, because he shook his head
and his smile became even softer.  "No, Scully," he said.  "Not like
that.  I've never brought a woman here.  Not until tonight."  She felt
herself relax as he kissed her again.  "You're the first, Scully. 
You're the only.  This was my hiding place."

She felt her eyes widen slightly as the possible meaning of his words
sunk in.  "Your hiding place?"

He nodded.  "My hiding place.  This is where I came when I had to get
away from you.  When you were getting too close, or I felt my defenses
slipping or my resolve weakening.  This is where I came to hide.  And I
never, ever brought anyone with me."

"Mulder!"  She felt tears forming in her eyes, and she tightened her
arms around his neck as she buried her face against his chest for a
moment.  Then she looked up at him again.  "Mulder?  You brought me to
your secret place?"  He nodded again, not speaking, and she could see
unshed tears in his eyes, as well.  "God, I love you so much."  And this
time the kiss was deep and passionate.

Finally they broke apart, and when he spoke his voice was rough and
uneven, and choked with love and desire.  "Let's go on in."

Moments later they were inside, and Mulder was removing her coat and
hanging it on the antique oak coat tree in the foyer.  The interior
decor was simple and elegant, and matched the exterior of the house in
every detail, down to the flickering candles and the hardwood floors. 
The effect was so vivid that Scully would not have been surprised if
Thomas Jefferson or Richard Henry Lee had greeted them in the entryway.

Not that she would have given either of them a second glance.

Mulder led her through a side door into what must have once been the
parlor, but had now been remodeled into a sort of small, intimate
lobby.  The colonial motif had been continued here, the only concession
to the needs of the modern world being a desktop computer situated
incongruously atop a rolltop desk.  An attractive young blonde woman was
seated at the desk, preoccupied with the computer, and she waved a
distracted hand at them as they approached.

"Be with ya in a minute, folks," she said, and proceeded to type
furiously for a few seconds before turning to face them.  Then her face
lit up.  "Fox!  I'd been starting to wonder if you were going to show up
after all."  Her gaze flickered over to Scully, and her eyes widened
slightly as she looked back at Mulder again.  "Fox?  Is this....?"  Her
voice trailed off and a hint of a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

Mulder looked slightly embarrassed, but he nodded.  "Yes."  He put his
hand on Scully's shoulder.  "Rachel Lewis, meet Dana Scully."

The young woman clapped her hands together and jumped to her feet.  "Oh,
Fox!"  She sped to him and gave him a quick hug, then released him and
gazed up at him fondly.  "I'd just about given up hope on you."  She
turned to Scully, and her eyes were shining.  "Dana, I'm so happy to
meet you at last!"  She extended her hand, and Scully took it
reflexively.  She'd been momentarily taken aback by the other woman's
effusiveness, but it had become immediately evident that Rachel was not
a threat but an ally.

Rachel must have realized what was going through Scully's mind, because
her smile became even broader, and she shook her head.  "Dana, you don't
have a thing to worry about.  Fox has been coming up here for years, and
you're the only thing he's ever been able to talk about."  She looked
back at Mulder affectionately.  "SOME of us kept trying to tell him to
go for the gold, but the big goof just wouldn't listen."  She put her
hands on Mulder's shoulders and gave him a delicate kiss on the cheek. 
"Well just you remember, Fox Mulder:  I'm the sort that says 'I told you
so'.  Over and over and over."

Mulder smiled and shook his head.  "What would I do without you, Rachel?"

"I guess you're going to find out, aren't you?" she said primly, and
returned to sit down behind the desk again.

"So what had you so preoccupied?" Mulder asked, moving forward and
trying to get a look at the screen.  "Space Invaders?  Pac Man?"

Rachel laughed.  "No, just reading fanfic on the Internet again."  She
tapped a fingernail against the screen.  "Would you believe some of
those idjits on the newsgroup actually think she might kiss her boss? 
Unbelievable.  Anyone with eyes can see who she REALLY wants."  She
looked up at Mulder and Scully again, and mischief danced in her eyes. 
"But somehow I don't think either one of you is very interested at the
moment."

She pulled open one of the desk drawers and drew out a key, and tossed
it in Mulder's general direction.  He juggled it for a moment, then
caught it.  "There you go, Fox.  Number three.  Second floor, end of the
hall on your left.  Now get her upstairs before you chicken out, okay?" 
Her voice turned warm and friendly.  "And it's been really nice to meet
you, Dana.  I mean that.  I hope you have a wonderful evening."

Mulder took Scully's hand, and led her back to the foyer and up a
staircase, which opened onto a hallway stretching the length of the
building.  They walked quietly down the hallway, still holding hands,
and Scully tried to concentrate on her breathing.  Her heart was
pounding in her chest, and she felt heat in her groin and on her face. 
After what seemed like ages, but couldn't have been more than a few
seconds, they came to the end of the hallway, and Mulder unlocked and
opened a door and they went inside.

The room was beautiful.  It was dominated by a massive, antique
four-poster bed.  The canopy looked as if it had been hand-sewn, and the
quilt covering the bed was thick and looked very warm.  The drapes were
heavy linen, dyed light blue, and the wallpaper appeared to be
handpainted, with an intricate abstract design that melded perfectly
with the drapes and was soothing to the eye.  An oak nightstand stood
next to the bed, and on it was a single lamp which provided the only
illumination.  As had been the case downstairs, candle brackets were
spaced along the wall, but the candles had not yet been lit.

And they were alone.

At last.

Neither of them moved for a long moment; they just stood next to each
other, holding hands.  Finally, Mulder lifted her hand to his lips and
gently kissed her palm.  "Candles or electricity?"

She looked at him and smiled.  With the two of them, darkness was not an
option; they had more than enough darkness in their daily lives. 
"Candles."

He was gone from her side for only a moment, but it seemed like
forever.  Finally, the candles were lit and the electric light switched
off, and Mulder stood in front of her, looking into her eyes, holding
each of her hands in one of his.  His thumbs gently caressed the backs
of her hands, and then he drew her up against his body and kissed her.

Scully had thought she had become accustomed to kissing Mulder, but in
the next few seconds she discovered to her joy and amazement that she
was wrong.  As much as they had shared with each other since Christmas
Day, now there was even more, and she felt waves of happiness and
pleasure washing over her.  She felt dizzy, and her knees were weak, but
she knew that he would not let her fall.  She leaned into him, letting
him take her weight completely, rubbing her body against his and sliding
her arms around his waist.  She heard a noise that was part growl, part
moan, and realized that it was coming from her own throat., and that
made it even better.

Finally their lips separated, and they stood clinging to each other,
breathing heavily.  Scully could feel his hands on her hips, gently
caressing and tickling her, sending tingles of arousal to join those
already pooling in her abdomen.  She tightened her own arms around his
waist, trying to draw him closer, and she felt him wrap his arms around
her, pressing his hips forward and letting her feel his erection against
her belly.

A groan escaped her lips, and she gasped at the sensation.  "Mulder,"
she said.  She was finding it difficult to form coherent words, much
less complete sentences.

"Mmm....yeah, Scully?"  He seemed to be having the same difficulty.

"Mulder," she breathed again, and stroked his back with her hands. 
"Mulder, please take my dress off for me."

His arms tightened around her for just a moment, and then he released
her, and looked down at her.  His eyes were so dark with desire that she
thought for an instant that she might faint, but somehow she managed to
hold on.  "I thought you'd never ask," he said, and after the briefest
of kisses he stepped around behind her as she slipped out of her shoes.

Scully stood absolutely still, waiting.  Time seemed to stretch out
endlessly, and the flickering candles made strange, dancing shadows on
the walls and on the furniture.  Finally, when she thought she was about
to burst from anticipation, she felt a soft, delicate touch at her neck
as he brushed her hair out of the way, and then a gentle tug as he
started to pull down the zipper of her dress.  His thumbnail scraped
intermittently along her spine, bumping the flesh laid bare as the
zipper continued on its downward track, until at last it reached the
bottom.

He slipped his hands into the opening, and Scully felt as if she were on
fire as his large, warm hands touched and caressed her back and sides,
slowly traveling upwards in counterpoint to the zipper's recent downward
movement.  Finally, his hands rested on her bare shoulders, underneath
the cloth of her dress..

"No bra, Agent Scully?" he whispered.

She giggled slightly.  "It took you this long to notice, Agent Mulder? 
And here I thought you were a trained investigator."

"Oh, I am," he assured her.  "But there have been certain distractions
tonight."  He leaned down and brushed aside the collar of her dress and
planted a gentle kiss at the juncture of her neck and shoulder, sending
a jolt of electricity down her spine.  "And even a trained investigator
such as myself has to set priorities."

Scully moaned and instinctively pressed her buttocks back against his
crotch, rubbing against him and reveling in the feel of his erection
against her.  "Mulder," she breathed, "if you don't finish taking this
dress off me right now, I'm going to scream!"

That brought a chuckle.  "Can't have that," he said, as he leaned back
down and kissed the other side of her neck, sending another spasm racing
through her body.  "We have to save the screams for a little later." 
And he gently pushed the dress forward, letting it slide off her
shoulders and down onto the floor to pool around her feet.  An instant
later his arms slipped around her and he was cupping her breasts in his
hands, his thumbs lightly caressing her nipples.

Scully gasped at the sudden sensations flooding her body.  This was
beyond anything she had ever imagined.  Every nerve in her body was
alive and clamoring for attention.  Without even thinking about it she
turned in his embrace and threw her arms around his neck again, dragging
him down for deep, passionate kiss and going up on her toes to grind her
crotch against his.  Meanwhile his hands stayed on her breasts,
touching, caressing, tickling, pinching.

"God, Mulder," she said, breaking the kiss to gasp for air.  "Do you
have any idea what that does to me?"

Deprived of her lips, his mouth slid across her cheek and down to her
neck and shoulder, where he proceeded to plant a trail of nips and
kisses.  Scully groaned and slipped her fingers into his hair, pulling
his head down and holding it in place and tilting her own head to give
him better access.  Her skin felt like it was on fire, and she was sure
that every hair on her body was standing on end.

"Mulder," she whispered.

"Yeah, Scully," he murmured against her shoulder, and took another nip,
making her shudder and draw in another sharp breath.

"Mulder, I love you more than life itself...."  Her voice trailed off
under the contstant, wonderful assault of his lips and tongue.

Nip.  Nip.  Nip.  Kiss.  "But?"

She moaned as he found the spot under her ear.  "But..."  Another kiss. 
Another moan.  "But you're wearing too damn many clothes."

He raised his head from ministering to her neck, and looked down into
her eyes, a slight smile on his face.  "I think I agree.  You want to do
something about that?"

She shook her head and smiled back at him.  Freeing herself from his
embrace, she backed away a couple of steps, taking the opportunity to
slip her underpants off her hips and let them fall to the floor before
sitting down on the edge of the bed.  "No," she whispered, and ran her
tongue along her bottom lip.  "I want you to do it.  I want to watch."

His eyes widened, and he raised his eyebrows.  "Why Agent Scully," he
said.  "Are you a voyeur?  I never would have guessed."

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me, Agent Mulder." 
Again she ran her tongue along her lower lip.  "Yet."

He looked at her for just a moment, then his smile broadened and he
started to undress.  Suit jacket.  Necktie.  Dress shirt.  Undershirt. 
Shoes and socks.  Slacks.  Finally he paused, hands gripping the
waistband of his boxers, and raised his eyebrows again, and she realized
he was inviting her to help.  Asking her to help.

For just a moment she allowed her eyes to rake over his near-naked form,
drinking in his masculine beauty:  The hard, well-defined planes of his
chest and abdomen.  His gorgeous, sexy legs.  His lightly muscled arms
and long, senuous fingers.  And his eyes.  His wonderful, intoxicating
eyes....

"Scully?"

She shook herself, and remembered the task at hand.  With slow
deliberation she got up off the bed and walked towards him, finally
placing her small hands on top of his large ones, and together they
lowered his shorts down past his hips, allowing his erect penis to
spring free, and finally letting the last item of clothing drop softly
to the floor.

Scully moved her right hand away from his, and gently brushed her
fingers across his erection, feeling  a sense of awe and wonder rising
in her chest.  She looked up at his face, and saw that his eyes were
closed, his head thrown back, and his mouth slightly open, as she gently
touched and caressed him.

"Mulder," she said softly.  "Mulder, open your eyes and look at me." 
She softly closed her hand around his shaft, and he moaned, but somehow
he managed to do as she asked, and she shivered at the mix of emotions
she saw in his gaze.

"Mulder, is this because of me?"  She took a half step closer to him,
until the tips of her breasts brushed lightly against him, and she
gently ran her hand up and down the length of penis.  It was warm and
silky and hard all at once, and for just a moment she allowed herself to
imagine would it would feel like when it was finally inside her.  "Did I
do this?"

He nodded, and when he spoke his voice was harsh and ragged with
passion.  "Yeah, Scully.  Yeah, you did that.  It's all because of
you."  He licked his lips and groaned as she stroked his shaft again. 
"Oh, God, Scully....Scully...."

Without letting go of him she started backing towards the bed, and he
followed, their steps perfectly synchronized.  When she felt the
mattress against the back of her legs she sat down again, and then
stretched out on her back, pulling him down on top of her, and finally
they were together, bare skin to bare skin, no barriers at all.

Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and tried to pull
him closer.  Closer.  Closer.  She had to pull him closer.  The
sensations of this embrace were assaulting her, inflaming her:  the
weight of his body pushing her into the mattress, the scent of his
arousal mingling with her own, the rasp of his stubble against her
cheek, the warm moistness of his breath as he murmured incoherent sounds
into her ear.  God, the feel of him, just the knowledge that at last it
was happening, that it was Mulder on top of her, loving her, wanting her
as much as she wanted him.

"Mulder," she gasped.  "Oh, God, Mulder."  She hugged him even more
tightly.  She wanted him, she needed him inside her NOW.  "Mulder,
please.  Please make love to me.  Please, Mulder.  Now."

"Yeah," was all he said, and she was spreading her thighs as wide as she
could and pressing her hips up against him, preparing herself for the
moment when he would finally enter her....

And then he was pulling away and standing up.  "Mulder!"  Her eyes
popped open, and she reached after him, grabbing his wrist.  "Mulder,
what the hell are you doing?"  Scully was suddenly close to tears,
feeling the agony of frustration, and the fear that he didn't really
want her, that he was going to deny her.  "Mulder...."  She licked her
lips and tried to keep the desperation out of her voice.  "Mulder, is
something wrong?"

He looked back at her, and the clarity of the desire in his gaze helped
reassure her even before he spoke.  "Nothing's wrong, Scully.  Nothing's
wrong.  I just need to get a condom.  I'll just be a moment."

"A condom?  Mulder we don't need a condom.  I know your chart nearly as
well as mine, and I know we're both clean.  And there's no way --"  She
suddenly broke off, and she felt her eyes widen.  She had forgotten. 
Kevin.  Unconsciously her hand touched her abdomen.  She had resigned
herself so thoroughly to being infertile that she had actually forgotten.

But Mulder had not forgotten.

And he had believed her.

The two thoughts struck home like a lightning bolt.  He had believed
her.  He had believed her so thoroughly and unquestioningly that he had
taken the necessary steps to protect her, to prevent her from conceiving
a child she might not want.

To prevent her from conceiving THEIR child before she was ready.

Not because he didn't want a child; he had made it very clear to her on
Christmas Day that he did.  But because he didn't want it to come as an
accident; he didn't want it to come as a result of a moment of reckless
passion.  He wanted it -- oh, he wanted it bad, and now she could see
that in his eyes, too.  But he wanted it after due planning and
deliberation, a joyous reward for their love, not a grim consequence of
their impulsiveness.

Scully hadn't thought it possible to be more in love with Fox Mulder
than she already was, but as with so many other things on this night of
nights, she was rapidly discovering that she had been wrong.

"Come here, Mulder," she said softly, and drew him back down on the bed
next to her.  They lay in each others arms for a long time, softly
touching each other, exploring each other's bodies, memorizing every
detail.

Finally, she spoke again.  "Mulder, of all the special things you've
done for me tonight, I think that may have been the most profoundly
wonderful."  She pressed her lips briefly against his, then let herself
browse along his cheek for a moment.  "Mulder, I love you so much.  I
know I've already said that, but I can't help myself; I just can't keep
from saying it."

"That's okay, Scully," he replied.  "You can say it as often as you
like.  I kinda need to be reminded from time to time."  A brief pause. 
Then, diffidently:  "By the way...I love you too."

She giggled.  "I guess I knew that."

Another long silence, while Scully continued to nuzzle his face and
neck.  This time Mulder broke the silence, clearing his throat to get
her attention.  "So, Jim..."

She smiled into his shoulder, and stifled a laugh.  "That's the Waco Kid
to you, Sheriff Bart."

"We gonna play chess, or we gonna screw?"

Scully raised her head and looked down into his eyes for a long moment,
waiting.  Finally, she saw the slightest flicker of doubt appear on his
face, and she leaned down so that her lips were almost touching his, and
whispered, "We're gonna screw."  And she rolled over onto her back and
pulled him on top of her again, this time wrapping her legs around his
waist to make sure he could not escape.

He looked down at her, concern battling with desire.  "Scully?  What
about the condom?"

She hesitated, then shook her head.  "Not tonight, Mulder."  He started
to speak, but she cut him off.  "Not tonight.  I've thought about it; I
really have.  And I need to feel you; I need to feel all of you. 
Tomorrow and the next day and the day after that we'll worry about birth
control, and take proper precautions, but tonight there can't be
anything between us, not even a thin layer of latex.  I just couldn't
stand it.  I know it's stupid and dangerous; I know what the
consequences could be.  But just for tonight I need to throw caution to
the wind."

She stopped talking and studied his face, trying to discern what he was
thinking, but whatever it was it was too quick and complicated for her
to follow, and at last she just held her breath, waiting to hear what he
would say.

Finally, he nodded.  "Okay, Scully.  If that's what you need, then
that's the way it will be. But I just want to change one thing of what
you said.  Just one little word."

"What word, Mulder?"

"'Consequences,'" he said simply.  "If a child happens tonight -- or any
night -- it won't be a 'consequence'.  It will be a gift.  A gift that
we give each other."

"Oh, Mulder."  And she drew his face down to hers and kissed him, and
she kept on kissing him.  And they lay on the bed, tangled in each
other's arms, and made love far into the night.
 
 

Fini