TITLE: Once Upon A Time
AUTHOR: Brynna
EMAIL ADDRESS: ingos_grrl@hotmail.com
DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT: anywhere you deem it worthy. If you’ve got a
second, I wouldn’t mind a note tho; I like to visit my ‘kids.’
FEEDBACK: Of course! :-)
SPOILERS: Unnatural
RATING: There be sex in here. hehe
CLASSIFICATION: mild A/MSR (FINALLY!!)
SUMMARY: And it’s the ‘happy ending’ folks.

HUGE THANKS: To my dear friends, Trixie, Brandon & Eve, who have put up
with more . . . insanity from me over the past few weeks. Thanks for
staying on my case to finish this!! Love you all.

Quick Note: Okay, I know this is post-Unnatural, but the ice cream scene
isn’t in here. Sorry, but I couldn’t find anywhere to work it in. (if
you close your eyes really tight, you can just pretend it’s there. :-))

Disclaimer: I’ll understand the question the day CC lets us see this
on-air . . .

I'm standing in Mulder's hallway, staring up at the numbers on his door.

Again.

I seem to be in this position a lot lately, especially if it's after an
extended period of no contact.

It seems it's my job to extend the olive branch.

But this time I do have to be the one to do it.

He told me to go, that he loved me too much for my own good, and that if
what I needed was to get away from him, then he would not only respect
that, but encourage it.

He got me the three weeks off, no questions asked, and basically made me
leave.

I have to admit, I pretty much went willingly.

It did feel good, to clear my head. I’ve been walking around in this fog
for a long time now. But three weeks away, I know exactly what’s going
on, and what I want.

Which brings me to Mulder’s door.

His car wasn’t out front, and so I pull out my key, letting myself in.

He’s cleaned. Mulder cleaned.

Okay, I’m afraid.

Smiling as I run my fingertips over a perfect stack of magazines, I sit
on the edge of a couch cushion. He must’ve been very bored, to actually
make this place this nice.

Standing again, I walk over to his video shelf. About half of the movies
are missing. I know which ones are gone; he moved the porn. Narrowing my
eyes slightly, at the box of empty tape cases next to the shelf, I have
to blink at them a couple times, in surprise. He didn’t move them; it
looks like he got rid of them.

Moving slowly, I walk through his apartment, taking the time to
re-memorize everything. Tapping some food into his fish tank, and
tracing the keyboard of his computer, memories assault me from all
angles. I almost get trapped in a reverie, when I hear his key in the
lock.

Turning to face the door, suddenly feeling like a nervous teenager, I
wait for it to open.

He swings the door wide open, a couple of boxes in his hands.

“Movin’ out?”

The sound of my voice causes the boxes to fall to the ground. Good thing
they were empty. “Was thinkin’ about it,” he answers, standing in the
doorway, just staring at me.

“Going far?” I still don’t move toward him, just stand in one spot,
staring at his face. He shrugs once. “You were planning on sneaking out
without your partner?”

“The thought crossed my mind.”

I take a step toward him, then stop. “Mulder,” I murmur, licking my
lips. “I owe you an apology. I’ve been acting really weird lately, and
you haven’t deserved any of it.”

He nods, the movement almost mechanical. “Accepted. So now what?”

Taking a deep breath, moving quickly, I walk to his side. Reaching up, I
gently cup his face in my hands, and tug him down to my level, even as I
stand on tip-toe. When he’s closer, my lips press against his in the
softest kiss I can manage. He doesn’t move, doesn’t react, just stands
there while I kiss him.

Pulling back slightly, I stare into his eyes. “Hi,” I whisper, praying
he’ll understand, not knowing how to explain right now.

His eyes search mine, and I know that I tore down my walls before I
walked into the apartment, so he’s seeing me this time. The most
beautiful smile crosses his face. “Hi,” he whispers back, wrapping his
arms tightly around my waist, his head bent and pressed against my
shoulder.

Exhaling slowly, I hug him back, my eyes shutting. “I got to do some
serious thinking,” I begin, still holding him. “And I realized that I
was being stupid. I’m still not sure I understand everything that’s been
going on, but I think that the combination of everything just got to be
too much, and I stopped letting myself be happy. I know that I thought
that I didn’t deserve to have you, to be happy.” His head lifts
slightly, and he’s about to say something when I shake my head. “Not
yet,” I tell him softly. “Let me talk first. I realized that I was
punishing myself for something that I had no control over - the pain of
those I love, that was caused by . . . whoever it was. By Them. I was
blaming myself. And I was sinking further and deeper into this
self-loathing that I was feeling.” Smiling at him, my fingers trace over
his cheek.

“And you weren’t letting me stay there. So I lashed out at you. And it
was stupid, it was pointless, and I only succeeded in hurting both of
us  more.”

“Can I say something?” Mulder asks me softly, his fingers rubbing small
circles on my scalp, flat-out refusing to let me go. I nod once, smiling
slightly. He bends, and kisses me, gently. “I love you,” he whispers in
my ear, his way of telling me that I can take as much time as I need to
explain, as long as I’m not going anywhere. I see this reflected in his
eyes when I look at him.

I accept it, for now. I may have thought the entire drive back here
about what to say, but I still don’t know. “I know you do.” Nodding down
at the boxes, I raise an eyebrow. “What’s the deal with those Mulder?”

He gives me a sheepish smile. “I was thinking about just packing up the
important stuff and moving in with the Gunmen. I thought you weren’t
coming back, and I can’t continue on the X-Files without you. Nor did I
have a desire to stay here, if you were gone.”

“So that’s where the tapes went.”

“Yeah,” he mumbles, brushing his fingers over the side of my neck.
“Frohike’s watching them for me. Quite literally, I’m sure”

I feel my eyebrow raise again. “I’m sure he’s happy,” I answer, smiling
a little. Taking a breath, I slowly remove myself from his arms. “I’m
going to go up to my moms for a couple hours, okay? You and I need to
talk some more, but I need to go tell her thank you for something. How
about we have dinner tonight?”

Slowly, he nods, staring at me. “I love you too Mulder,” I tell him
softly, turning and slipping out the door.

~~~~

A ballpark. Mulder, not my idea of a place to talk. Especially, when it
involves you, and presents. Of any sort.

Walking over to the fence, I have to smile at him, standing there with
the baseball bat in his hands. “So,” I say quietly, waiting for him to
look toward me. “I get this message marked ‘urgent’ on my answering
service from one Fox Mantle telling me to come down to the park for a
very special, very early, or very late birthday present. But Mulder, I
don’t see any nicely wrapped presents lying around. So what gives?” I’m
asking so much more, and I know he knows it, but he wants to let this go
for a while, so I suppose I can indulge him.

“You’ve never hit a baseball, have you Scully?” I answer in the
negative, and he stops, giving me a Look to match some of my own. “Get
over here Scully,” he murmurs, this ‘fuck-me’ look on his face that I
used to have to force myself to ignore.

Walking to his side, I stand there, as he maneuvers me to where he wants
me, his arms wrapping around my body. I half-listen to him going on
about hips before hands and shaking hands with the bat, responding at
the appropriate moments.

He’s turning my body into the swing, connecting with the ball. His lips
are brushing against my hair as he talks, about forgetting all my
problems. I’m still not quite paying full attention, but I hear
something about my biological clock, and a jacket. He steers away from
what we both are thinking about, and keeps talking, stepping us into
swing after swing.

We must do this for almost an hour, before the kid on the pitchers mound
announces that he has to go home. He and Mulder get into a small debate
on how much he’s supposed to get paid, and when he finally leaves us
alone, he’s got more money than even he asked for.

I drop the bat, and walk to Mulder’s side, where he’s pocketing his
wallet. “That was nice.”

“Yeah, but he just robbed me blind.” Smiling down at me, Mulder touches
my shoulder. “But if you enjoyed it, it was worth it.”

“I did, but it wasn’t my plan for this evening.”

Nodding, his hand strays up to my cheek. “I know.” Pointing behind me,
he grins. I turn, and see a blanket spread out in the outfield, food set
out. That must’ve been the extra cash to the kid. “Took care of that
part too.” Taking my hand, he leads me over to the blanket. “I just
thought you might want to relax before we dove into anything else.”

Smiling as I look into his eyes, seeing a happiness in them that I can’t
remember ever seeing, I sit, tugging him next to me. “Thank you.” He
just nods, and silently hands me food. He’s waiting for me to say
anything, if we’re going to talk. “I suppose there isn’t too much that I
can actually say, is there?”

“I’m not looking for, and I don’t want, a fairy tale explanation
Scully.” He takes a bite of his food, and slowly chews. “I don’t even
need you to say anything else, unless you want to. You came back, you
want to be back, that’s all that matters.”

Chuckling, the sound close to bitter, I take a bite myself, allowing it
to give me a moment to think. “I dunno Mulder, perhaps we’re writing a
reality-based fairy tale here. And yes, I’m back, I’m not leaving again.
And I want us, however we end up. I can’t promise you that I won’t lose
it again, but . . . I trust you’ll pick me up if I do.”

“Always.”

We lapse into silence to eat, neither of us needing to say more. Halfway
into a bottle of wine, the food long since gone, I lean over, and kiss
him, softly. “I’ve missed you,” I whisper, the first words I’ve spoken
in close to an hour.

“Missed you too,” he answers, sliding closer, arms going around my
waist. “We’re going to be okay, right Scully?”

Resting my head on his shoulder, I nod. “I think we are Mulder.”

“Do you want to go home?”

“Whose home?”

He shrugs, and pulls me a little closer. “I was thinking yours, because
the bed’s a little more comfortable than my couch, but it’s up to you.”

I can’t help but smile, and kiss the skin of his neck softly. “That
sounds fine.”

We reluctantly disentangle ourselves, and pick up the leftovers and
blanket. “I’m assuming you drove?” he asks, wrapping his arm around my
waist. I nod, and he smiles. “Good, because I didn’t.”

The walk, then drive, seems to take an extra long time, but finally we
arrive at my apartment. Leaving everything in the car, we silently make
our way inside. Once the door to my place shuts, I grab him, pulling his
head down, kissing him hard.

He kisses me back for a moment, then stops me. “I want to make love to
you tonight Scully,” he whispers, his mouth so close to mine that I
inhale his breath as he speaks. “All those things I’ve never done . . .”
He slowly peels my jacket off, then his own. His hands move quickly, but
caressingly, stripping my clothes from my body. He makes no move to
undress himself. Stopping, leaving my clad only in my bra and panties,
he lifts me into his arms, kissing me slowly, deeply, his tongue moving
over the inside of my mouth. Carrying me to the bed, he sits me on the
edge, and kneels in front of me.

Reaching, I unbutton his shirt, while his mouth runs over my throat.
Pushing the material from his shoulders, I let my fingers run over his
bare skin as his lips make their way over my breast, closing over my
nipple. I hear myself gasp as he begins to suck, through the thin lace
covering my breasts. His hands settle on my hips, and slowly work my
panties down, as I move slightly to help him.

Now I’ve felt Mulder’s touch, many times before. But this time it’s like
- the first time. He’s touching me so slowly, almost teasingly, his
fingers brushing up my thighs, once the small scrap of lace is on the
floor. He gently pushes me back, and releases my breast.

Finding it harder to catch my breath, knowing what his intent is, I lay
back, my eyes shut, tracking his movements inside my head. My hands move
to touch his hair, just stroking it slowly while he traces over, it
feels like, every inch of my bare skin. My legs still hang over the edge
of the mattress, and he parts them, settling closer to my body. I feel
his breath puffing gently over me. “Do you know how long I’ve wanted to
taste you?” he whispers, the words causing me to moan.

I feel him chuckle slightly, more than I hear the sound, half a second
before his lips touch me, and his tongue darts out, flicking once over
my clit. Finding it impossible to contain a small whimper, I bite gently
on my lower lip as his mouth moves over me, darting inside my cunt,
licking at my wetness.

“Do I do that to you?” he asks huskily, raising his head for a moment. I
can only nod, not even opening my eyes, as I feel him lips close over my
clit, sucking at it like he had my nipple. It doesn’t take much of this,
before my hands clutch at his hair tightly, my body jerking against his
mouth. I whisper his name as I come, unable to say anything else.

I barely notice that he’s moved, and moved me in the process, until his
full weight is lying on top of me. One of his hands slips under my back,
unclasping my bra and tossing it aside. “I love the way you taste,” he
whispers into my ear, teeth gently tugging at it.

“That was worth waiting for,” I mumble, barely able to breathe, feeling
the roughness of his jeans against my highly sensitized skin. “However,
you’re a little over-dressed.”

Chuckling huskily, the sound quickly becoming one of my favorites,
Mulder rolls halfway off me, removing his jeans and boxers in one quick
motion. “Have I told you how much I love you?” he asks me, grabbing my
hips and gently pulling me closer.

“Once or twice.” Kissing him, one of my legs draping over his hip as we
lie on our sides, holding onto each other.

Feeling his fingers close over my hip, pulling mine even more snugly
against his own, I move where he guides me, moaning softly into his
mouth as his hard cock slips inside me.

Almost instantly picking up a perfect rhythm of moving together, our
mouths never separating, I stay wrapped as tightly around him as I can.
This is definitely a different experience than any other time we’ve been
together. Everything’s changed between us, and I didn’t, honestly
realize it was possible for this to get this much better.

His fingers move from my hip to between us, resting on my clit. He
doesn’t move them, just creates pressure as he thrusts inside me. I can
feel his body tensing, and his hips moving against mine faster, harder,
his orgasm starting. His deep groan, combined with the feel of him
coming inside me sets off my own orgasm, and I clutch at him harder,
almost clinging to him.

Slowing his movements, he rolls us slowly, laying on his back, settling
me onto his chest. “This is . . .” Mulder takes a deep breath, and I
settle my head where I can hear his heart. “This is good Scully.”

One eyebrow automatically raises, even as I know what he’s talking
about. “The sex was never the problem,” I tease softly, bringing a hand
up to rest on his cheek.

His head turns, and his lips press against the center of my palm. “No,
it wasn’t,” he answers softly. “But I meant us.”

Nuzzling my nose against his chin, I nod. “I know.” Letting my eyes
shut, I feel myself slowly drifting to sleep.

So if this is a fairy tale, we may have missed the good ‘once upon a
time,’ but the ‘happily ever after’ seems within reach.